Muscat: The Consulate-General of the Sultanate in Australia has appealed to all Omani students in New Zealand and Australia to be vigilant after police arrested a man with a suspected explosive device at a vacant property in Christchurch.
New Zealand police said on Tuesday a man was arrested and bomb disposal officers found a package with a suspected explosive device at a vacant property in Christchurch, where 50 people were killed in attacks by a lone gunman on two mosques in March.
Police cordoned off streets in the Phillipstown area of the city on New Zealand’s South Island, with a bomb disposal team, ambulance and fire and emergency crews sent to the scene.
“Police have located a package containing a suspected explosive device and ammunition at a vacant address ... in Christchurch,” district police commander Superintendent John Price said in a statement.
An explosives disposal unit rendered the package safe and a 33-year-old Christchurch man was arrested, the statement said. The police cordon was later lifted.
The New Zealand Herald said police were called due to “threats about an explosive device”. Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
