Police puzzled

Press, 4 September 1980, Page 3

Police puzzled

!. Christchurch detectives are still puzzled about the motives of the person who planted an explosive device on a truck near the Guardsman Restaurant on Tuesday evening. The explosion, at 9.36 p.m., blew a hole in the deck of the truck and was heard throughout the central city. About 25 minutes earlier, the Ministry of Transport operations room had received a bomb three.by telephone. The caller said: “Only tell you once — $lOO,OOO or a bomb will go off in 15 minutes at Noahs Hotel.” Police and firemen went to Noahs after the truck blast, but found nothing. The hotel was not evacuated, ' <' ■ ■ Detective Inspector N. J. Stokes said yesterday that the police were not sure whether the telephone call and the bombing were linked. He described the pipe bomb as “not a very sophisticated device.” Pieces of copper pipe about 10cm long were found scattered through the alleyway where the

truck, a Mazda 1600 utility, was parked. , “It is just lucky that no-one happened to be walking past at the time,” ' said Mr Stokes.

A big squad of detectives was assigned to the case yesterday, but no arrest had been made by late last evening. The police would like to hear from the occupants of a red Holden car which was seen in Oxford Terrace about 9.30 p.m. The occupants of the car might be able to help the police inquiry, a spokesman said.