Bomb threat sparks siege

He wore a backpack he said was a bomb, doused himself in petrol and threatened to blow up a service station.

The standoff lasted more than five hours, caused the evacuation of hundreds of people and virtually brought the South Auckland township of Papakura to a halt.

The siege, at Shell Roselands Service Station, ended only when police used tear-gas to flush the man out.

The 52-year-old had walked into the service station in the busy Great South Rd shopping area at 9am and started throwing petrol round the forecourt shop.

He told two staff members and two customers that he had a bomb attached to himself, and said they should leave.

It is understood the man was wearing a backpack with wires and a clock visible.

He was also carrying a can of petrol and doused himself with the fuel.

Firefighters who were first on the scene were told by the man to "get back" but after that there were no other words from him.

He refused to talk to police, who swarmed into the area and spent more than an hour evacuating the central business district, which included a row of fast-food outlets, a supermarket and a shopping mall.

Shoppers and employees left by foot or vehicle, their day disrupted by the unfolding drama.

The driver of a heavy haulage truck carrying a digger was forced to abandon the load in the main street.

A rolling cordon pushed people back from the scene until it formed a 600m radius.

Surrounding streets were patrolled by uniformed police as members of the armed offenders squad took up positions round the service station.

The black-suited figures, each carrying at least two firearms, could be seen crouching behind trees and running across the top of buildings.

Using a loudspeaker that echoed up the main street, police told the man he was surrounded by armed officers and if he followed their instructions "no harm will come to you".

He was repeatedly asked to open the door or a window and speak to police.

A phone was left outside the shop door but the man made no effort to retrieve it.

Inspector Alan Shearer, of Counties Manukau, said the man sat on the floor of the shop all day and ignored requests to make contact.

He appeared to be asleep or "in a hypnotic state", said Mr Shearer.

At 2.30pm, a loud bang similar to a shotgun being fired signalled the end of the siege.

Mr Shearer said a robot with an explosive device was used to "pierce" the front doors but the man did not react.

Tear-gas was fired into the shop and the man walked naked on to the forecourt. He was subdued by a police dog before being arrested.

Mr Shearer said the man indicated there was an "incendiary device" inside the shop.

The robot detonated the device about 30 minutes later.

The man was taken by ambulance to Middlemore Hospital and was last night held there under police guard.

Mr Shearer said he could not comment on the man's motives.

"Obviously he's not thinking straight to be doing something like this."

Shell spokesman Simon King said even if a bomb had exploded, the impact would have been "limited".

The station's tanks are at least 1.5m below the ground, apart from an above-ground LPG tank fenced off behind the store.

The rear wall of the station is brick with no windows, to ensure fire cannot spread.

"It is anyone's guess what damage could have been done if there had been a bomb because there are so many variables," Mr King said.

"In this situation, there would be very limited potential for a really big explosion. It is all robust and a bomb would have to be pretty sophisticated to cause a big enough crater for a fuel explosion."

"It would be very, very hard to get a tank to blow up because they need heat, the fuel source and air for an explosive atmosphere.

"Unless it ruptured and fuel was leaking above ground, it is unlikely to catch fire".