A trans-Tasman bomb scare was sparked when a man had a six minute rant to police about how a passenger on an Air New Zealand flight was carrying an explosive, police say.
Officers yesterday received an anonymous phone call from a New Zealand number that a man had boarded NZ739 from Auckland to Brisbane carrying a bomb, but by the time the passenger was identified the flight had departed.
Inspector Denise Trail said it was obvious from the hoax caller's "ramblings'' that he had a vendetta against the passenger, who was completely unaware of any bomb threat.
"I've listened to six minutes of them on the phone.
"This is a malicious hoax call by someone who is of an age that should know better, certainly an adult, and we're taking it very seriously.''
