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A New Plymouth pensioner has been injured after a home-made bomb was shoved through his cat door.
It was one of three bombings in the space of two days in the city this week, the Taranaki Daily News reported.
In the worst of the attacks, 82-year-old Noel Maetzig received a gash in his leg after he picked up a device that was thrown through his cat door in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Mr Maetzig was woken up by a strange noise at his home in Magnolia Drive, Westown, about 2.20am and went to investigate.
He discovered a plastic drink bottle lying on his floor.
Mr Maetzig picked the bottle up and could see what he described as a chemical reaction happening.
Immediately his instincts warned him of the danger.
"I thought - you had better put that back down and then all of a sudden there was a huge bang."
The force of the explosion left a deep gash in his left leg, which needed medical attention, but the injuries could have been worse.
"If I had lifted my hand up higher to my head level, I would have been a goner."
Mr Maetzig said the explosion left him in a state of shock.
Police said a similar bomb was detonated in a letterbox in a nearby street on Thursday morning, and in a letterbox in suburban Whalers Gate late on Wednesday night.
Detective Pat Yates, of New Plymouth CIB, said the bombs had police worried.
"The potential for things to go wrong is quite high."
Mr Yates said if people found one of the devices they should not approach or handle it and should contact police immediately.
- NZPA
