A 12-year-old boy has been charged with multiple serious offences after shoppers were evacuated from a Bunnings store in Brisbane due to a bomb threat. The boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, faces one count each of bomb hoax and using a carriage service to menace, harass, or intimidate. He was dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act.
The incident unfolded on Tuesday morning when police were called to the Bunnings Newstead store following reports of a threat. Customers were promptly evacuated, and diversions were put in place. A nearby street was also closed while officers conducted thorough sweeps of the facility. Firefighters were seen entering the store as customers waited outside the entrance, according to the Courier Mail.
Police confirmed that no suspicious items were located during the search. 'Officers attended at 8:35am and as a precaution, evacuated the building while sweeps of the facility took place,' Queensland Police stated. 'No suspicious items were located and there is no further information to indicate there is a threat to the public.'
Bunnings Regional Manager Alysha Hayes confirmed that emergency services had been deployed to the scene. 'The safety of our team members and customers is our top priority,' she said. 'We can confirm emergency services were at our Newstead store yesterday. As this is a police matter, we won't comment further at this time.' The store has since reopened for trading.
