AUSTRALIAN Federal Police have apologised after leaving 230 grams of plastic explosive in an unclaimed suitcase at Sydney Airport.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The explosive was discovered after the unclaimed bag was given to a woman as a replacement for her damaged bag.
The explosives were left behind after a training exercise on August 14 but discovered on Tuesday after the woman took the unclaimed bag.
After finding the device, the woman immediately took it to Cessnock police.
Cessnock police station was temporarily evacuated as a safety precaution.
The device was not live, AFP said.
AFP Sydney Airport Commander Wayne Buchhorn issued an apology on Thursday afternoon, saying the device was left behind after a dog training exercise.
“The AFP takes this error seriously and the canine instructor who inadvertently left this device behind has been identified and will be the subject of a formal Professional Standards Investigation,” Commander Buchhorn said.
“Although the travelling public was not in danger at any time, we regularly review our processes in this area, and we will do again in the light of this incident.
Commander Buchhorn thanked the woman and Cessnock police for their help.
