Car-bombing bid

Press, 28 December 1979, Page 1

Car-bombing bid

PA Dunedin An attempt to blow up a car in a central Dunedin parking building failed yesterday when a bomb planted in the petrol tank exploded but did not ignite the petrol. The Fire Service had an anonymous telephone call early in the morning saying that a car was on fire in the top tier of Gardner Motors’ parking building. When fire engines arrived the boot of a 1966 green Vauxhall Viva was ablaze.

After the fire had been put out the police found that a hole had been punched through the boot floor and into the petrol tank. A bomb made up of two detonators and strands of safety fuse had been fed into the tank and had exploded. Detective SeniorSergeant J. G. Howell said the first detonator had gone off, blowing the second detonator clear of the tank. However the blast had not ignited the petrol presumably because the

tank had been full and no air vapour had been present. Engine wiring had also been tampered with. “It was a potentially very dangerous situation and had the car been blown up anyone nearby could well have been killed,” said SeniorSergeant Howell. Few cars had been parked in the vicinity. The police would not release the name of the car’s owner. They are trying to establish a motive for the bombing.