Two killed in bomb blast in a car at Truscott Rd, Enfield
A HELL'S Angels associate and a convicted arms, drugs and explosives dealer were on the way to assassinate a rival gang member when they accidentally blew themselves up yesterday.
A HELL'S Angels associate and a convicted arms, drugs and explosives dealer were on the way to assassinate a rival gang member when they accidentally blew themselves up yesterday.
The ear-shattering blast shook the working-class suburb of Enfield and jolted residents from their sleep about 5.20am.
The Advertiser has been told the bomb was meant for a member of the New Boys outlaw gang who lived about 25m from the blast site, on Gove Rd.
The Hell's Angels associate, 23, of Walkley Heights, and the convicted drug dealer, 31, of Munno Para West, died instantly when the Holden sedan exploded.
The home-made bomb is believed to have been sitting in the car's centre console.
The driver's body was blown into the gutter outside an elderly woman's home about 6m from the car and debris was scattered over a 35m radius.
Police last night were searching for a male tattooist. He is believed to have links to the dead men and is understood to be hiding "somewhere in Adelaide".
Superintendent Barry Lewis said police were "anxious" to speak to the man.
"He will know who he is and we are anxious for that person to come forward," Supt Lewis said.
The deaths of the two men in the car have been declared a major crime. The blast ripped open the Commodore's roof and blew out the front doors.
The bikie associate was left slumped in the passenger seat with his seatbelt still secured.
Raid at Munno Para West
Several hours later, police arrested and charged a man believed to be an associate of the dead men at a Munno Para West address.
They found firearms, 17 cannabis plants and explosives at the house.
The man, 30, was charged with firearms, explosives and drug offences.
Enfield residents said the blast shattered windows and shook ceilings. "It was just one tremendous boom," a woman, who declined to be named, said.
"It was a great boom that shook the house and moved my bed. People ran out on the street in their pajamas to see what had happened."
Dozens of police officers - including bomb squad detectives and STAR Group officers - cordoned off several streets and instructed residents to stay in their homes.
A bomb squad robot was used to make sure forensic investigators were safe to inspect the wreckage.
Neighbour Susanne Jones said what she initially thought was debris, turned out to be the body of one of the dead men.
"All I could see was smoke rising so I came out the front and walked to the corner," she said.
"When it got a bit lighter . . . I could see something lying on the road which I thought was just shrapnel but as I found out it was an actual body.
"It was pretty freaky seeing that.
"I had to stay inside because police rang on my mobile and said don't go near the windows or anything."
Victim identified by fingerprints
Supt Lewis said police had positively identified one victim by his fingerprints.
"(He was) a 23-year-old from Walkley Heights . . . based on information that he had on his person, we are fairly sure he's the person who hired the car," he said.
Supt Lewis said police had not determined why the wrecked car was in Truscott Rd at the time of the explosion but the crime had "nothing to do with the house (alongside) or people in the area".
"I couldn't speculate - there are far too many ideas I have about what happened with this bomb," Supt Lewis said.
"There was definitely an explosive device inside the car, not chemicals.
"It was an explosive device that was prepared . . . why it's gone off, God only knows.
"This may have accidentally gone off, I won't know about that until this investigation is actually completed and until we've interviewed many witnesses on the scene."
Major Crime detectives interviewed people at Enfield last night.
Superintendent John Venditto said there was "no immediate threat to the public".
"When people drive around with bombs in their cars as blatantly as this, well, I don't know that they're actually that smart . . .," he said. "We're putting an enormous amount of resources in a short time to see what direction this is going."