Newcastle raids linked to Brisbane bomb plot probe

Heavily armed police have raided properties in Newcastle as part of an investigation into a suspected bomb plot.

Officers bashed down the gates of the family home of convicted bomber Daniel Fing.

He was renting a property in Pullenvale in Brisbane where 50 kilograms of explosives were found and detonated.

It comes after 7News exclusively revealed last Thursday night that the stockpile of volatile chemicals discovered in the storage shed are the same substances used in the 2005 London bombings.

Officers also discovered mud maps of Sydney's Central Station and a bridge in Newcastle.

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Twenty five officers and four sniffer dogs trained to track explosives scoured the property on Wednesday, where 29kg of explosive material was uncovered.

The Queensland Police Bomb Squad detonated 20 pieces of TATP, an unstable substance nicknamed ‘The Mother of Satan.

A multi-agency taskforce has been set up on level 7 of Police headquarters, with the Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police and Queensland Police believed to be involved.

At the centre of the investigation is the tenant of the property 30-year-old Daniel Fing, who is a convicted bomb maker.

Fing is bi-polar and said to be incredibly intelligent and meticulous.

Police are investigating links between Fing and bikie gangs in New South Wales and South Australia, including an explosion that killed two Hells Angels members in Adelaide.

Investigations are looking at why Fing chose to live in Brisbane and move to Pullenvale, as he has no connection to Queensland.

PM 'not aware of terror threat'

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday he is not aware of any terrorist threat linked to the discovery of explosives.

Mr Abbott said he was not aware of any threats to those sites, nor anything that would indicate a threat towards November's G20 summit of world leaders in Brisbane.

"There are all sorts of people who do all sorts of weird and, at times, pretty dangerous things," Mr Abbott told ABC Radio.

"But I haven't been advised of any potential terrorist threat in respect of this particular issue."

The prime minister lauded Queensland police for finding and disposing of the explosives, saying security during and in the lead up to G20 would be as "effective as it needs to be".

Queensland police, the Australian Federal Police and Australian Defence Force personnel are continuing to search the Pullenvale property, but have all remained tight-lipped about the investigation.

Plot thickens: Maps alongside explosives show 'Sydney targets'

Authorities fear maps and explosives uncovered at a Brisbane home may be clues about an attack, planned to be carried out in Sydney.

The Courier-Mail on Tuesday said it was understood one of the maps found at the site carried the words George St and uniform, believed to refer to a uniform shop on the Sydney street referred to near Central Station.

• FIRST ON 7: 'Extreme explosive' find sparks bomb fear ahead of G20

The second included the words brothel, bridge and grave, believed to be a location in Newcastle.

Security experts have also told 7News they hold serious concerns ahead of the G20 summit, after the discovery at the Pullenvale home in the city's west.

As little as four grams can cause detonation, as controlled explosions continue almost a week after the explosives were found.

TATP is favoured by terrorists because it can create a military grade explosive.

"It's an extreme explosive. It's made from very common household ingredients," said Dr James Blinco from QUT's School of Chemistry.

The substance can't be detected in airport screenings and has security experts concerned in the lead up to the G20 summit.

"I think the Australian law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies are now beginning to take these incidents very seriously," said international security expert, Dr Ashutosh Misra said last week.

Police on scene at Pullenvale on Friday morning. Photo: 7News

Pullenvale residents around the Red Cedar Road area, have been told they would be locked out, with bomb squad moves set to clear more explosive chemicals.

"The set up of the shed is certainly of sophistication, it's not something, for want of better words, a backyard setup," Inspector Mark Bradford said.

"The set up in there has indications that's it's more likely than not related to the use of explosives as opposed to drug material."

A real estate agent raised the alarm after she found drug paraphernalia at the vacant home during a routine inspection on Wednesday.

It was then she alerted police, who found the explosive materials.

Police and firefighters spent much of Thursday determining the stability of a cache of chemicals in a detached shed.

Material at Pullenvale home. Photo: 7News

A resident of a west Brisbane home that harboured a stockpile of volatile chemicals was allegedly using the stolen identity of a navy diver, reports suggest.

A man and woman had been renting the home for about a year, real estate agent Benjamin Smith said.

They reportedly vacated the property after falling behind in their rent.

Media reports suggested the man had been arrested in Sydney on unrelated charges, while the woman's whereabouts remain unknown.

The Sydney man had allegedly rented the property under a fake name, using the stolen identity of a navy diver, the Courier Mail reports.

Police declined to confirm the reports, citing operational sensitivity.

Emergency crews on scene at Pullenvale this morning. Photo: 7News

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