U.S. arrest made over Sydney collar bomb hoax

[News_Editor]

U.S. arrest made over Sydney collar bomb hoax

2011-08-16 12:40:18 GMT+7 (ICT)

SYDNEY (BNO NEWS) -- Police in the U.S. state of Kentucky have arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly strapping a fake bomb to the neck of a teenage girl in Sydney, Australian police announced on Tuesday.

The incident happened on August 3 when a balaclava-clad man entered a multi-million dollar house in Sydney's exclusive suburb of Mosman and placed a device around the neck of an 18-year-old girl, who was later identified as Madeleine Pulver. After 10 hours, bomb experts determined the device was fake.

New South Wales (NSW) police said agents with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a 50-year-old man in Louisville, Kentucky, at about 3.25 p.m. local time on Monday (5.25 a.m. on Tuesday in Australia). The FBI agents were assisted by Australian detectives.

NSW police said it contacted the FBI after an investigation led them to identify an individual who left Australia on August 8, five days after the incident, on a flight to the United States. "An arrest warrant was granted by a U.S. judge in Louisville [on Monday]," an Australian police spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said NSW police force detectives are currently in Louisville to assist U.S. authorities with the ongoing legal process. "A court hearing is expected to take place in Louisville at which Australian authorities will lodge an extradition application," the spokesperson said.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione praised its investigative team for carrying out the investigation. "Every day investigators in this organization do the most outstanding job dealing with every level of criminal investigation," Scipione said.

"This has been a matter that we describe as high profile," Scipione added. "Police officers are used to this level of exposure and interrogation. People going about their daily lives are not. I have nothing but the highest admiration for the Pulver family for the way in which they have conducted themselves. They have been magnificent."

In response to the arrest, the Pulver family released a statement to the media. "We are enormously relieved that an arrest has been made in the United States overnight," Bill and Belinda Pulver said. "These past two weeks have been very difficult for us and we are hopeful that this development marks the beginning of the end of this traumatic ordeal for our family."

The Pulver family thanked officers and everyone from around the world who offered their support, but said they would not make any further comment in the near future. "I want to again respectfully request that our privacy be considered," the family said.

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