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A 54-year-old New Zealand army veteran involved in an eleven-hour standoff with Brisbane police has been seen dousing his yacht with liquid from a jerry can.
A 100-metre exclusion zone has been set up around the busy Eagle Street pier and police and a bomb detection robot are at the scene where he has moored his boat at the inner-city wharf.
The Courier-Mail reported he was seen pouring liquid from his jerry can - the type usually used to hold petrol - on to the boat and an adjacent ferry from just before 6pm.
A police spokesman said the robot had only been sent down to the yacht with the purpose of making contact with the man.
Police say he called them about 5am (8am NZT) on Monday threatening to harm himself but they would not confirm if any explosive devices were on board the yacht.
The situation remained unresolved and the lockdown was still in place at 6pm (9pm NZT).
The man has been seen holding a jerry can and a 30cm-long bayonet.
Earlier in the day, a police officer told reporters at the scene that the man had requested a bacon and egg McMuffin.
However, a police media spokesman later denied the man had made the request.
The spokesman said the standoff was related to a family issue.
The man has been seen playing a guitar onboard after police negotiators pulled back about 10.30am (1.30pm NZT).
Police Inspector Shane Dall'Osto (Dall'Osto) earlier told reporters that officers hoped for a peaceful resolution.
Mr Dall'Osto refused to respond to questions about what the man's threats of self-harm involved, including whether he had threatened to set alight a jerry can on board.
He said the man was alone on the boat.
In a phone call to The Courier-Mail, the man said he had personal issues and told them he was prepared to maintain his standoff for two weeks.
A friend and fellow "yachtie" told AAP the man was a New Zealander who fought in Vietnam who was probably making a cry for help
He had lived on his boat in Brisbane for two years and was close to the nomadic yachting community, he said.
Other yachties are concerned for the welfare of the man, whose drama began with a call to police at 5am (AEST) today.
"I think this is a cry for help," his friend of a few years said.
"None of this was expected, none of us thought this would have happened.
"He's had some health issues and some family issues," the friend said.
"He's a nice guy, and ex-Vietnam vet, a super guy," he said.
"This is completely out of character for him."
- NZPA and AAP
