Bomb Strapped to Australian Teen's Neck a Hoax
Madeleine Pulver appeared in good spirits Friday as she emerged from her family home accompanied with her mother. The 18-year-old was held captive in her house for ten hours Thursday after she was forced to carry what she thought was a bomb.
"I'm okay, thank you," said Pulver before climbing into her family's BMW, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
On Thursday, officials say that the device, originally reported to a bomb, strapped around Pulver's neck contained no explosives and appears to be part of an elaborate hoax.
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Pulver was held captive in her house by a suspected bomb strapped around her neck. It took an Australian bomb squad ten hours to set her free on Thursday morning.
Police later ruled out that the device was a bomb.
"A very, very elaborate hoax as it turned out, 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," said Mark Murdoch, New South Wales assistant police commissioner.
Madeleine was unhurt and in good spirits after she was freed, said her father, William Pulver, chief executive of Appen Butler Hill.
"She is a little tired, a little sore from holding this damned device in place for about 10 hours," her father said. "But she is now, as we are, eager to get on with her life."
Madeleine Pulver is the daughter of one of Sydney’s wealthiest families.
The teen was home alone when an intruder wearing a balaclava broke into the family's Mosman home Wednesday afternoon and fastened the supposed explosive device around Pulver’s neck.
The man ordered Madeleine to call the police, but she was instructed not to reveal too much information or he would detonate the bomb, Daily Telegraph reported. When the device was secure, the intruder left.
Four officers, including police negotiators and bomb specialists went to the teen’s home on Wednesday, around 2:30 p.m., after they received the call from the 18-year-old girl.
Officials described the device as "very elaborate and sophisticated."
"There is a device which we are examining, and it is proving a tough nut to crack… Until such time as we can be satisfied exactly what it is we will continue to treat it very, very seriously," said Murdoch.
During the ten-hour operation, nearby houses were evacuated and roads were blocked off.
Madeleine was not able to speak to her parents throughout the terrifying ordeal due to operational purposes. Murdoch says, it was “very, very difficult” for her.
Two bomb technicians worked on the device, as two police negotiators kept Madeleine fed, warm and calm.
“She’s been kept in a very uncomfortable position, Murdoch said, “She has been and will be uncomfortable for a little while to come. But she’s in good hands.”
The Assistant Commissioner went on to say that Madeleine was not hurt. The teen was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment and has since been released to her parents.
According to Murdoch, the girl spoke to the person officials believe is responsible for the scare. He said a note was left inside the house, but did not reveal the details of what it said.
"There were some instructions left by the offender at the scene last afternoon and those instructions will provide us with further lines for inquiry," Murdoch told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
He added, "Certainly the instructions were precise, they were such that led us to believe that we were dealing with a very serious and legitimate threat."
The “collar bomb” has never been used before in Australia, wrote The Australian.
Pulver’s family says they have no idea why she would be a target and asked the media on Thursday to respect their privacy.
"Certainly the family are at a loss to explain this, but you wouldn't expect someone would go to this much trouble if there wasn't a motive behind it," Murdoch said.
Officials stated there was no evidence to suggest the hoax was linked to another crime and it is too early to determine a suspect.
The State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad will lead the investigation.
