17 May 2006

Westfield Woden bomb scare

| Cameron
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Seems to be a bit of drama over at Westfield Woden… a suspicious parcel was found early this morning and the plaza has been closed ever since. Apparently it will be hours before it opens again.

I wonder if they’re just being super-safe or there are actual grounds for them to suspect that this may be something other than a misplaced package?

Anyone have any info on what is happening?

UPDATED: Scottie_517 in the comments says that a good source places blame with a pipe bomb.

UPDATE 2 The Canberra Times ran this on their front page this morning, complete with picture of bored shop staff sitting outside (not very far outside, I might add). Simon Corbell says the risk was really real but he can’t give any details. The CT did find out some more by talking to bystanders:

The Canberra Times was told by a retailer who had overheard discussion about the device that it was white, cylindrical and had wires hanging from it.

The toilets where it was found are near the centre of the top level of the shopping complex, close to a Tattersalls outlet.

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Slinky the Shocker2:29 pm 18 May 06

Yeah, our Murray loves the mosquito fish we get out of our pond after the previous owners put the feral bastards in…

Ha Im thinking of getting a Murry Cod as well and put it in 6ft fish tank. Ive actually got one on my wall a 60 pound jobby i cought ages ago and had it mounted on a nice bit of drift wood.

Even though the retailers in Woden Plaza lost buisness, im sure Woden Southern Cross Club made a killing…

i think you guys are passing like ships in the night, but we’ll have RA style comments in the index bar in a jiffy.

i think im the only one commenting on cc – apart from some guy called john griffiths who chides me.

Slinky the Shocker1:15 pm 17 May 06

I might have to subscribe, as I am moving to Banana-land in a couple of weeks and won’t be able to type bullshit here…

Actually there are comments, but we’re working to make them a little more prominent.

If you pay me $50 to be a subscriber you can knock yourselves out.

RG’s already conveyed a surprising proposition from his jamie oliver fetishising wife.

Slinky the Shocker12:43 pm 17 May 06

… there’s no comments on Concat yet 🙂
But seriously, I wouldn’t do it either… Concat looks good, though!

Slinky, Thumper, guys, guys guys. Funny as this can be don’t even joke about doing so to the Concat. Riot is a bit of fun but JB is trying to put food on the table with the Concat, the last thing he needs is us going over and starting a food fight. 😉

Slinky the Shocker11:44 am 17 May 06

Maybe we should submit a news item…

Slinky the Shocker11:28 am 17 May 06

Close call. It’s actually Murray, but you would never have guessed it.

By the way, I think we adopt this style of hijacking topics on JB’s new site…

Absent Diane11:16 am 17 May 06

im confused

Slinky the Shocker11:04 am 17 May 06

I have a Murray cod, too, Thumper… Guess what it’s called?

How does it taste?

Somebody caught Singing Trout with a backpack full of goat eggs. They had to call on the genetically modified gerkhin to open a can of whoop-ass.

Something more serious may be a cause here.

Over the past week, 3 St George banks have had theirs comms systems sabotaged. ( Cut cables in comms rooms where only 2 keys can get access and both were accounted for! )
As some may have noticed, the Civic branch and a few others were unable to provide any services because all their systems were down. Now Woden was not affected… until this bomb scare…. 😉

The sydney morning herald has a short article about it Here.

Hi everyone,

I was thinking the same thing until I squeezed a mate of mine in security (who was rubbing shoulders with the police) for some information about the scare – and he says they actually found a small pipe bomb – i assume when the statement was made on the news that “the item poses no risk to the public” it is because they defused it?

Les Whinin, I tend to agree.

emd, if it is indeed a Westfield drill, I wonder if the friendly landlords will be compensating their tenants for loss of business…

Of course, the natural progression for a terrorist target is WTC, Pentagon, Bali nightclub strip, Woden Plaza.

Excuse me for appearing blazé about this obviously newsworthy event, but I’m sure this “suspicious package” is no more harmful than a dog turd in a lit brown paper bag.

I read on another internet forum that it’s just a Westfield drill taken to the extreme. But that’s completely baseless rumour – who knows if it’s true?
They were also talking about it on 666 but I wasn’t really listening and don’t have a radio at my desk.

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