Police still searching...

No info too small: bomb investigators

AAP, The West AustralianNovember 6, 2013, 11:22 am

• tweet1
• Email
• Print

Police and military scoured the Australind area last week for any further packages of explosives and clues to who put them there. Picture: Lincoln Baker/The West Australian

WA Police are making another high-profile appeal for information- no matter how small or seemingly insignificant - to help them solve the mystery of explosive chemicals found in Australind last week.

Today, officers will distribute posters throughout the South West requesting information. For the next few hours police will be at Bunbury Forum, Centre Point Plaza, Bunbury and Australind Shopping Centre.

Police today confirmed that the second suspicious package found in a waterway last week was more of the deadly terrorist chemical explosive TATP.

A massive police operation was launched after a member of the public discovered the package containing 3kg of TATP hidden underwater near a jetty at Leschenault Estuary at Australind, south of Perth.

The first package was mistakenly identified as illicit drugs and transported through the Perth CBD and stored in WA police major crime headquarters.

After the explosive was identified, it was delicately moved to a local racetrack before being detonated.

A second package was discovered in the estuary 36 hours later, and was eventually detonated underwater by police and navy divers

After confirming the second package was TATP, the WA Police issued a social media appeal for information.

Acting Commander Scott Higgins said no further chemicals had been found around the waterway.

The incident has prompted a review of police protocols when suspicious substances are discovered.

Police continue to investigate who hid the chemicals in the estuary and are not ruling out the possibility they had sinister plans, including terrorism.

TATP, which can be manufactured from household ingredients and is known as “Mother of Satan“, was used in the 2005 London bombings.

The discoveries last week coincided with a major gathering of foreign ministers and diplomats in Perth, the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation meetings.

Today, Acting Commander Scott Higgins said that as a result of an exhaustive search of the area, which has now concluded, police could reassure the community that no further chemicals had been found.

A police spokeswoman said police would immediately advise the community if there was any further concern for public safety.

"The public are reminded to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police," she said.

Information can be provided to police in the following ways.

Talk directly to a police officer
• Today - uniformed officers will be in local shopping centres in the Australind/Bunbury area;
• the Mobile Police Facility will be located at the Australind Jetty car park and will be manned 9am-4pm;
• Water Police will be speaking to people using the Estuary and waterways and officers will be

available at the Australind and Bunbury police stations.

Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

Online via Crime Stoppers at www.wa.crimestoppers.com.au

Information is kept strictly confidential and you may remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers.

Remember that no information is too small or irrelevant.

Your piece of information may be the one that completes the puzzle.

Please don’t assume that someone else has told us the information

I have never seen so many police, detectives, army personal in one place…everywhere you look there is one or the other. No complaints from me, the person/persons responsible for hiding the chemicals need to be found. As yet they have no leads. Uniformed police were in the shopping centre today and were available to talk too with any titbit of information they could receive.

On to other things….Kylee has finished work completely and is now in the process of slowly packing up her house. 

On Saturday morning her girlfriend is hosting a baby shower here for her as my place is central and have plenty of room. I dislike her best friend BUT she is Kylee's friend and doesn't have to be mine. The shower is going to a "high tea" and I have had a girlfriend who makes the most deeevine looking (and I believe very tasty too) cupcakes with baby boy and frog (as Kylee has nicknamed her lil man Froggie) as my contribution to the tea.  Will post pics next week.

All is going well with the pregnancy, she is nearly 33 weeks….and the lil man is still breech. Hope the lil bugga turns for her before he is born, Kylee so wants a natural birth.

On the weight front, a 600g loss at last weigh in….back on track again. 

Work is changing my shifts around and I won't have time to stay for meetings anymore, will have to weigh and run, but that won't matter for a little while.

Been trying a few nice recipes out….and now the weather is fining up, a lot of bbq's. Love a barbe.

Just to finish, my agapanthus as it opens. I have never been able to grow these. Bought them before and they usually die, never to flower…..but yay this year, it as you can see I didn't waste my money.  mmmmm maybe because hubby is doing all the gardening now…...

Scary much….

All this has been happening just down the road from my house…about a 5 minute drive away.
When I had Shera here I used to walk her quite often down there, have many photos of her playing there…and the grandkids just love walking down to the end of the jetty walk in the hope of spotting a dolphin….again have many photos of them too.
Just makes you wonder what the world is going to be like for them if this is what people of today do…ohhh scary much. 
Don't think I want to go down there again…2 bombs in two days and no-one been caught yet….going to be awhile before I go walking there again methinks.
Makes you wonder who in their right minds goes about making bombs??

Australind terror scare as second suspect package detonated

• PHIL HICKEY, EMILY MOULTON, KAITLYN OFFER & AAP
• PERTHNOW
• NOVEMBER 01, 201

expand

• Share on facebooFacebook

NINE NEWS - SUSPECT PACKAGE DETONATED1:45

• Play video

Police have detonated a second suspect package in Australind.

Autoplay

• ON
• OFF

SUSPECTED explosives have been detonated in Australind after a second package was found in the Leschenault Estuary yesterday.

Police evacuated the area near the jetty at the Leschenault Estuary and closed nearby roads just before the second package was detonated at 5pm.

It comes as police divers today resumed their search for the deadly explosive TATP after the second package' was found by police divers yesterday.

Officer injured from TATP

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan today revealed that one of the officers who handled the deadly explosive suffered a minor chemical burn which required hospital treatment.

Army divers headed out onto Leschenault Inlet about 8.15am today and were out on the water about an hour before returning to shore shortly before 9.30am.

Police and army divers wearing snorkels appeared to be doing a sweep of the Leschenault jetty, close to where the second suspect package was found yesterday.

About 2.20pm, officers got into a 4WD and drove it along the jetty. Mr O'Callaghan confirmed that one of the police officers who handled the deadly explosive material found in Australind early this week had to be treated for a minor chemical burn to a finger.

FEDS INVESTIGATE EXPLOSIVE TATP HAUL2:02

• Play video

Chemical explosives found in WA have been confirmed to be the highly-volatile TATP.

Mr O'Callaghan and Premier Colin Barnett today sought to reassure the public they were not in any immediate danger following the discovery of the deadly explosive in the state's South West.

The pair said every precaution was being taken and that police were treating it as an extremely serious criminal investigation.

■ WHAT IS TATP?

Despite a meeting of foreign ministers in Perth today, the national terrorism alert level has not been changed. While federal investigators were involved in the inquiry , it has not been confirmed whether ASIO is involved.

Mr O'Callaghan said police still did not know what was in the package found yesterday butArmy bomb experts were treating it as explosive material .

"We are treating this as a serious crime investigation and there will be detectives down there and a lot of others doing work on this for the next few days," Mr O'Callaghan said.

"It will not be a short operation. But what I can tell you is that our priority is to make sure the community is safe."

Soldiers search the Australind estuary south of Bunbury. Picture: Bohdan Warchomij

Mr O'Callaghan also defended the police procedure following the discovery of the first package saying a presumptive test carried out on the substance indicated that it was "illicit".

"The officers concerned treated that substance like any other drug," he said. "The package was transported as an illicit drug because presumptive tests indicated that it might be.

"Bear in mind drugs get cut with all different compounds. The officer followed protocol. Once it was identified of course we dealt with it as a volatile material."

Procedure concerns Police Union

The WA Police Union said today it plans to meet with the Police Commissioner to raise its concerns over the handling of Tuesday's explosives find.

WA Police Union vice president Brandon Shortland told reporters this afternoon the incident on Tuesday "had highlighted a number of concerns" to the union.

"We are going to raise those (concerns) in a formal capacity with the Commissioner," Mr Shortland said.

Police divers resume their search for the explosive. Picture: Jackson Flindell

Mr Shortland said those concerns related to the seizure, handling and subsequent transportation of the TATP package found earlier in the week.

He added: "We don't believe that there is adequate training…our members are not chemists, they are not experts in hazardous material transportation.

"Our members did a great job under trying circumstances…unfortunately there are policies, systems and procedures that need to be looked at to ensure that explosives are not handled in that manner again."

The Premier said he wanted to reassure the local Australind community, as well as the wider public, that there was no immediate danger and that community safety was the number one consideration.

"All that is being done is what needs to be done. There is a significant operation underway involving and being led by WA Police but also involving federal agencies. Several precautionary measures will need to be taken and will be overseen by police.

"I would simply ask members of the public to co-operate with police. There is no immediate danger to anyone but all precautionary measures need to be taken."

State Crime A/Commander Scott Higgins said with the first package, confirmed to be TATP, coming from the Leschenault jetty area and a second suspicious package found yesterday, divers had swept the jetty to make sure there were no items missed.

Police divers and soldiers on the scene at Australind, where a suspicious package has been found. Picture: Jordan Shields

Terror scare a 'nasty coincidence'

Yesterday a counter-terrorism expert said the discovery of volatile explosives as world leaders met in Perth for the Indian Ocean Rim Association summit was a "nasty coincidence."

Curtin University's Alexey Muraviev told PerthNow the discovery raised additional security concerns for the event, which would see Foreign Ministers from countries such as India, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia and Sri Lanka meet in Perth today.

Dr Muraviev said terrorists wanted symbolic targets and the IORA event could provide such an opportunity.

"Many of them (member countries) are engaged in counter-terrorism efforts and many countries of the Indian Ocean Rim are affected by ongoing high levels of terrorism activity," he said.

He said because Perth was not considered a high-risk terrorism target, there would have also been an added element of surprise in any attack plot.

Police today said they were not ruling out any line of inquiry after the second suspicious package was found.

Police look for evidence at Australind, south of Bunbury. Picture: Bohdan Warchomij

Army bomb disposal experts were called in to help dispose of explosives after the package was found in the estuary where a large cache of the volatile chemical compound TATP was discovered on Tuesday.

PerthNow understands the substance found yesterday in the water today was located at the end of the jetty, and heavily weighted.

It was similar in size to the one found on Tuesday.

Sweep of surrounding areas

Forensic police officers have scoured nearby areas of the inlet and spent 15 minutes photographing evidence on the side of Old Coast Road, about 50m from the jetty.

It appeared to be a small piece of paper which was eventually bagged and taken away as evidence by the officer.

Police say there are no "legitimate" reasons why someone would be in the possession of the highly dangerous chemical other than for criminal activities.

A police forensic officer photographs an item of interest at Australind. Picutre: Bohdan Warchomij

Following yesterday's discovery of what could be more of the highly explosive material, Acting Commander Higgins told a press conference that while police were still trying to establish what it was intended for, the substance was used in terrorist attacks.

Earlier police confirmed the material destroyed at Gloucester Park was TATP, or 'Mother of Satan', the volatile chemical used in the 2005 London bombings.

Acting Commander Higgins said police were not ruling out any line of inquiry and confirmed the Major Crime Squad was looking at a list of people but were not close to making an arrest.

He also said TATP had previously been found in other locations in Australia.

"There's a whole range of different possibilities (for why) from prank to the more sinister and those are the ones we are looking in to," he said.

"This is not an unknown material and it has been found in other locations on previous occasions.

"There's no information to indicate there is cause of concern (regarding threats).

"One of the things we are trying to work out is exactly what it was intended for and we don't know that yet. And that is the reason we are asking for the public's help."

Questioned by the Opposition in State Parliament about the risk to the public during the operation to move the original cache of TATP from the city to Gloucester Park, Mr Barnett said he would not disclose details of confidential briefings.

"This is an extremely serious situation. But it is confidential and you are not to use it politically,'' Mr Barnett said.

No weigh...

 This is my story this week…a few wrong choices, which turned into a few more…then a few more…till I woke up with a rip roaring headache 2 days later and realised what I was doing to myself.
I usually don't have a lot of sugar, none in my tea or coffees and I drink diet or sugar free drinks when I want a change from water. My treat is a mini snack chocolate some evenings so I do get to have a bit of a sugar fix and don't feel deprived. I got caught out at an outing on Saturday evening,  my food choices were limited, so I indulged, and those indulgences just didn't stop till Monday evening when I realised what I was doing to myself. Grrrrrrrr talk about sabotage, again I am my own worst enemy.
Tuesday morning, weigh in day…..BUT I used my NO WEIGH CARD and put the brakes on and got myself back on track. Hopefully by next week the scales will be kind to me. And hopefully I have learnt a lesson.

I know I am not a quitter, I don't give up, but I have to learn not to give in to myself, thats the lesson I am struggling to learn.

At Last.....

At last hubby has started receiving his age pension....not a full one as I work, but gee that little extra sure does help, I am on top of all our bills now.  I had to submit my earnings today to Centrelink so they could work out what hubby was entitled to this fortnight and I was disappointed to see that the extra shift I did yesterday resulted in hubby losing more $$'s.
From now on, unless I really have to, I won't be doing any extra shifts, its just not worth it.

Hubby has really brightened the yard up since he has been home. The lawns and gardens look really great, they have all been weeded and mulched...the man has a real green thumb. 

Weigh in day today...for the 1st time in a couple of weeks I had a loss. I have been so good too, but with all the yoyo'ing I have been doing the past few months I guess my body had to wait and make sure I wasn't going to start the yoyo'ing again.  I don't think so....I want to lose weight. Think its going to be a long hot summer this year and I want to be able to enjoy it.  

Kylee has 10 working days to go then she has finished work. She was going to work till she was 34 weeks, but her Dr advised her to stop at 32 weeks.  She wanted to drive up and spend a few weeks with her fiancee, but Dr has said no and so have I, not having her driving 12 hours on her own!! We have come to a compromise and are driving her to our good friends a 6 hour drive away and will stay overnight and have a catch up with them and Garry will drive down meet us there and pick up Kylee....and do it again at the end of November to pick her up. She will be here for her weekly Dr visits and the last month countdown to the lil man's birth.  

Alls well...

Not much is happening in the world of Jen...

Still waiting for Centerlink to organise all hubby's paperwork for his pension, so been living on my wages and our savings. mmmmm its not been easy, what with licenses and insurances all being due these past few months, but we are getting by. Surely it can't be too much longer...

Kylee is going along ok. Pregnancy suits her, I think she looks great. The lil man is growing as he should. Kylee has been plauged by coughs, colds and gastro...so hasn't had the best of times these past few months. She only has a few more weeks of work to go, then she is going up north to spend some time with her partner before she comes back for the birth. For awhile there I was one upset Mumma as they were thinking of staying up in Carnavon for the birth as Garry wasn't sure if he could get away from his bakery. Of course he doesn't want to miss the birth. But he is due for some tests on his hands and has appointments with a specialist in Perth which fortunately are all around bubba's due date. So with that, sick leave and paternity leave he will be down this way for the birth. ahhhh I won't miss out on my newborn bubba cuddles.
After the baby is born, Kylee's house will be rented out and they will all living up in Carnavon. Hubby and I will help organise the house ready for that, then it will be put in the hand of an agent.

 We went for a drive on Sunday out to one of the local water supply dams. It was built in 2002 and this year is the first year it has been full enough to overflow. 

It made for a change of scenery...

I am still going to weight watchers...though the past 2 weeks the scales haven't been moving at all...but I am still attending and working on getting rid of these kilo's. 

Family get together

On Saturday afternoon we hosted a family get together. My mother, my brother, sister, 3 of 4 of my kids & most of my grandies (one son had gastro) my nieces, nephew and their kids all turned up. It was a fantastic get together....lots of fun was had by all. 
I hope to do the same again in early December...a early christmas get together, hopefully those that didn't make it to this one can.

Back on track....

View of the show from a ride above the show ground.

I am back on track. I rejoined ww the day after I arrived home from my long weekend in Melbourne. Sad to say the scales were higher by just a little to what they were when I rejoined last time....sheeez all that hard work I did too.  But hey that was then, this is now and I am doing it for the "I don't know how many'th time!!"  I had my 2nd weigh in today and I am happy to report I had my second loss....yep them scales are going down again.

Yesterday hubby and I went up to the Royal Show in Perth, we haven't been there since Shawn was 11 months old...he turns 31 in 2 weeks.   We had a lovely day, just wandering around and browsing. No time limits, in no hurry ... just enjoying our day.
We met Kylee & Garry at the train station in Perth and we were introduced to Garry's twins Jasmine and Alexander, what little cuties they are. Kylee is absolutely besotted with them and the twins seem to think she is pretty special too. 

Kylee drove back from Perth today after spending the evening with Garry before he headed back to Carnavon. She was meant to go to work, but after a day in the sun Kylee woke up during the night with a fever and sunstroke. 28 weeks pregnant and sunstroke = a sick mumma to be.  She did have suncream on and was wearing a hat, but I think she put the hat on too late in the day.

Hubby is enjoying his retirement. Still waiting for Centrelink to get back to him re: his pension. Living on 5 days a fortnight wages is hard work, thankfully we realised payments could take awhile so had some savings put aside for all the bills.

This Saturday we have a big family gathering happening.....been a long time since we have all been together in the one place at the same time. My brother is bringing his fiancee and our Mum up. Sister and her hubby and hopefully her sons, all my kids and their kids, my neices and nephew and their kids all all coming....so lots of catching up to be had.  My camera will be happy...lots of happy snaps happening methinks.

See you next week.....

Home again....

First person on my list to see was the delightful Mia. Mia and I have been ww buddies since the beginning of my journey. We have become very good friends. 

Melbourne at night....on our way back to the hotel where we stayed which was on Victoria St right in Melbourne City...not far from the Victoria Markets....and Smith Street where a few DFO stores were. I managed to get a good pair of walking/work shoes marked down from $200 to $70 !!

The same street in daylight...love this city...but never could I live there permanently. Love Western Australia and my countryside living.

And finally DD with a few of her friends. In the collage the girl in the top left decided after that meet up that Kylee hadn't missed her enough and wasn't happy enough to see her and has pressed the delete button on their friendship.  Go figure....but as Kylee said...her loss.

Was a lovely few days away, time went very quick, but we achieved all that we wanted to do...except see the one person Kylee wanted to see...her ex husbands Gran. Unfortunately she had flown to South Australia and though she was due home on the Friday she ended extending her stay there due to a death in her extended family. Very tired when we arrived home last night...and still weary tonight after a busy day at work.

I rejoined ww this morning and attended the meeting....all the weight I had lost, regained plus some since I stopped attending in July.  But that was then....today is another day and another journey.

Melbourne...

 Tomorrow afternoon after work, it will be home, shower and off up to Perth where Kylee and I will have dinner with her man....then we will climb on a plane and head to Melbourne. 
When Kylee left there after her marriage breakdown and the sale of their home, she just up and left and didn't get to see goodbye to a lot of her friends. So these few days will be spent catching up and seeing those people and showing off the "bump" of her little man.

 I had foils, colour and cut yesterday all ready for the trip....it was getting long, all the greys were showing and was in a bad need of a cut. I can tell you it was was very much needed....and made me feel a lot better.

Chris, Dietcoke Rocks.....this is my camera, or one very similar to mine. Mine is a Sony dsl 380 and I have had it a few years now. I love it, its very simple to use and heaps of settings to choose from. It suits me.
It is a 55-200 mm lens, 18-55mm lens which was part of the package...and I also bought a macro lens which the closeup pics of the flowers are taken with.

I return from Melbourne late Monday afternoon....and on the Tuesday it is back to work for me and also also back to ww meetings for me. 
I have been floundering....since I stopped ww when my husband retired. I had to figure out how our finances were going to go, but regardless of whether or not he gets his pension or not...I am going back to meetings...I will go without something else if need me. 
Since I stopped after getting back into the 70's I have now regained it all plus more.
But...I will get back there again....

Right its back to housework....things to be done before tomorrow. 

cya on my return.

Fathers Day

My man, the father of my children.

Shera along with her mummy came for a visit too. Mummy was feeling a little down, she is finding it hard coping with being alone, pregnant with her man being so far away. Hope his business sells soon..or he can arrange more time here with her. 

Paul, Tanya and his kids came out too....they have been so busy with school and after school activities I haven't seen much of them. They are growing up all too quickly.

After Paul, Tanya and the kids went home I grabbed my camera and Kylee, Shera  and I went walking around the garden and block. Spring has sprung....garden is starting to come to life and so is the bush and the native orchids. 

Its a.....

BOY !!!

I thought it was a GIRL but for the first time I guessed wrong, I got right all the other grandee's.
The way Kylee is carrying....and with my gut feeling I was thinking girl....but its going to be a very much loved little boy.
She is over half way now, all going well.....

Getting there.....

Well another week is over....and after giving myself licence to eat after I stopped my weight watchers I have managed to slowly drag myself back to eating more sensibly.  I do very well when I am working, I pack lunch and snacks and I stick to what I pack.
Exercise of late has been hit and miss....because hubby is not leaving home at 6am I am not getting out of bed early anymore. My jabberwalk buddy is on holidays so I need to motivate myself more when I am not working. On a busy day at work I do 20,000 steps or more....so on those days I don't bother walking.
No weigh in this week, and I am not weighing myself till the 11th of September....which will be just before Kylee and I fly to Melbourne for a long weekend away where she is going to catch up with some friends and her ex's grandma who she is very close too.
So my goal is to do just do my best..and lets see what happens in the next month.

Excitement plus on Friday, daughter is having an ultrasound to find out what she is having. Her fiancee is coming down and they are booked in at 3pm. I will be hanging on to my phone awaiting the news. My gut feeling is girl. 

Not much else is happening....hubby is enjoying his retirement, the sleep ins. Just have to finish all the pesky paperwork and then he can go claim his old age pension. 

Mojo went missing....

......but I think I have found it again.

Hubby has retired, and I have had to change a few things finance wise....and one of the things to go was my weight watchers unlimited. I know its all in the head, but once I stopped that I began to eat "wrong" again...as though now I don't do weight watchers I can eat whenever, whatever I like....duhhh
The scales have crept up again. All that hard work the past few weeks where I really felt happy about my progress...and had started to see numbers I was liking I have to do all over again. Why do I do this to myself??? 
But one thing I have learnt about myself, is although I do do these stoopid  things...I never give up completely...I never QUIT !!  
Today is a new day...so was yesterday....and tomorrow will be too.