In a statement the Australian Federal Police apologized for leaving a suitcase containing an explosive device at Sydney Airport for a month.
The device, forgotten at the airport, was found concealed in a suitcase. It contained 230g of plastic explosives and was used as a dog training exercise, said a police statement.
A women traveling through the airport took reception of the suitcase on Tuesday afternoon after her own was damaged on a flight. The women discovered the explosive device and immediately reported the incident to the airport police station.
As a safety precaution police officers evacuated the police station and could then trace the explosives back to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Federal police reacted to the incident saying the suitcase was used in a training exercise in August and was not active.
“The AFP takes this error seriously and the canine instructor who inadvertently left this device behind has been identified and will be the subject of a formal Professional Standards Investigation,” Federal Police Sydney Airport Commander Wayne Buchhorn said.
“Although the travelling public was not in danger at any time, we regularly review our processes in this area, and we will do again in the light of this incident.”
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