Australia bomb scare: Madeleine Pulver device 'was simply a hoax'

Australian police say a device attached to a teenager that took 10 hours to remove was part of an elaborate hoax.

Madeleine Pulver, 18, was at home in Sydney when an intruder apparently entered and placed a suspected explosive device round her neck.

Police said the intruder left behind a note that could provide leads for their investigation.

They are reportedly looking into the possibility that the hoax was part of an extortion attempt.

"A very, very elaborate hoax as it turned out," was how New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch put it to journalists.

"But it was made and certainly gave the appearance of a legitimate improvised explosive device. We had to treat it seriously until we could prove otherwise and that's exactly what we did and that's why it took so long."

The device was attached "by a chain or something similar," he said.

"The offender went to a lot of trouble for a particular reason, but what that reason was, police are still working to determine," Mr Murdoch added.

"There were some instructions left by the offender at the scene last afternoon and those instructions will provide us with further lines for inquiry," he told ABC radio.

Police have said the intruder had had previous contact with Ms Pulver.

They said the 10-hour process to remove the device on Wednesday was a delicate and painstaking operation, and that they had sought the help of British bomb-disposal experts.

During the operation, emergency crews evacuated nearby houses in Mosman, one of Sydney's wealthiest suburbs on the city's lower north shore.

Several streets were cordoned off, and ambulances and fire crews rushed to the area.

Ms Pulver was taken to a hospital for checks before being released on Thursday.(www.bbc.co.uk)