Police expect extortion note soon

Press, 27 December 1980, Page 1

Police expect extortion note soon

NZPA Sydney An extortion demand is expected within the next week after the blast which ripped through a Woolworths store in central Sydney on Christmas Eve. according to the police in Sydney. Detective Sergeant John Anderson, who will head the task force investigating the bombing, told a news conference yesterday that the police had substantial leads in the case. “Next week will tell one way or the other,” he said. Detectives believed they had discovered the source of the gelignite used in the bomb, which went off about 10 minutes after the store received a warning telephone call, he said.

About 40 detectives started visiting about 80 store employees yesterday in an attempt to gather new information.

The police also received more than 40 telephone calls, some from as far

away as Melbourne and Brisbane, after the release of an identikit photograph of a man said to be acting in a suspicious manner just before the blast. He was described as being aged 25 to 30. about 172 m (sft Sin) tall, slim, and with collar-length blond hair.

“We have some leads, some substantial leads, and we believe we are on the right track." said Detective Sergeant Anderson. He said the police w ; ere “overwhelmed at the magnitude" of the $250,000 reward offered by Woolworths for information about the bombing. The Sydney blast at the George Street store followed up explosions earlier in the month at Woolworths stores in Woolongong and Maitland which caused damage estimated at $320,000.

In October, a man attempted to extort $BOO,OOO from the company with a threat to contaminate food being sold in the stores.