Vic: Man killed after strapping explosives to himself

AAP General News (Australia)
12-14-2001
Vic: Man killed after strapping explosives to himself

By Ben Packham and Susan Murdoch

LARA, Vic, Dec 14 AAP - A man died this morning after explosives strapped to his body
detonated in the small town of Lara, south-west of Melbourne.

Police cordoned off the area around the Lara railway station, near Geelong, after four
explosions were heard by a nearby resident, a retired police officer, about 6.15am (AEDT).

Rural Ambulance Victoria senior operations officer Ian Crocos later said the man, believed
to be in his 30s, had died. He has not been identified.

"We were not able to go in there because of the explosives around, but the bomb squad
have been in there and checked his pulse (and) he is well and truly deceased," Mr Crocos
told reporters at the scene.

"He had his bowel opened with the explosion and there is some amputation of some limbs."

Ambulance officers had been unable to treat the man, who was in a wooded area about
200 metres from the train station, because of the threat of the explosives.

Inspector Shane Cole earlier described the situation as dangerous.

"We haven't had a chance to go in and have the ambulance have a look," he said.

"The scene hasn't been made safe. It's involving explosives, so obviously it's a dangerous
scene."

Insp Cole said there had been several explosions, which were initially mistaken for gunshots.

The retired police sergeant who reported the incident discovered the man was still
alive when he arrived at the scene, where he also found explosive devices before alerting
police.

Officers from the Special Operations Group (SOG), the airwing, local police, and crime
scene investigators were at the scene.

The SOG was this morning continuing to search the area.

Police spokesman Kevin Loomes said the man had not been a threat to anyone because
of his condition and no motive had been established.

Mr Loomes said the nearest building to the incident was an RSL club, which was in a
non-residential area.

About 200 people were standing outside the station, about 150 metres away, he said.

A spokesman for West Coast Railway said trains were not running on the Melbourne to
Geelong line and passengers were being transported by bus.

Police said it was believed a Melbourne-bound train had been in the vicinity at the
time of the explosions.

Any witnesses who may have been on the train are urged to to contact police.

AAP bp/svm/jlw/las/sb

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