Townsville Police still hunting Stockland Shopping Centre bomb hoax culprits

The culprits behind a serious bomb threat at a Townsville shopping centre are still on the loose.

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THE culprits behind a serious bomb threat at a Townsville shopping centre are still on the loose.

Police rushed to Stockland Shopping Centre at Aitkenvale about 12.30pm on Thursday to reports a bomb threat had been made to staff.

A spokeswoman from police said a person called the centre and told them they had planted a bomb in a toilet.

The centre was quickly evacuated while police swept the area and hundreds of shoppers and staff were forced out onto the street.

Stockland Townsville was evacuated after police responded to a bomb threat. PICTURE: MATT TAYLOR.

Stockland Townsville was evacuated after police responded to a bomb threat. PICTURE: MATT TAYLOR.

“We were in Woolworths, the alarms went on and we were told to leave,” a woman told the Townsville Bulletin on scene.

“They were very calm, the staff were very good and just directed us out as fast as possible.”

The area was deemed safe almost two hours later.

Stockland Townsville was evacuated after police responded to a bomb threat. PICTURE: MATT TAYLOR.

It’s understood police already have persons of interest in relation to the threat and they are believed be juveniles.

A police spokeswoman said detectives had not charged anyone over the incident, and investigations were ongoing.

Originally published as Townsville Police still hunting Stockland Shopping Centre bomb hoax culprits