Police seek man who sparked bank bomb scare

SUSPECT: Anyone with information about the incident or knowledge of the man's identity is being asked to call Wellington police.

Wellington CBD bomb scare

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MAARTEN HOLL/Dominion Post Zoom

Police closed Featherston St from Johnston to Hunter St in response to the bomb scare.

Wellington CBD incident

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Police are seeking to identify the man who sparked a bomb scare while attempting to rob a Wellington bank yesterday, bringing the central business district to a virtual standstill.

Cordons were put up around much of the CBD after a teller at the National Bank on Featherston St was handed a note shortly before 3pm suggesting there was bomb in the building that would go off at 3pm, Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Borrell said.

The bank and some adjacent buildings were evacuated and surrounding streets cordoned off until shortly after 6.30pm, causing severe disruptions to traffic in the city.

A search of the bank found no sign of a bomb.

Police are seeking a man who was caught on CCTV footage outside the bank at about 2.40pm, Mr Borrell said.

He is described as a thin man in his mid-20s, about 170cm tall, with olive skin and short dark hair.

He was wearing a light coloured baseball cap, a waist-length red jacket, blue jeans, light coloured sports shoes and a dark coloured backpack.

Anyone with information about the incident or knowledge of the man's identity is being asked to call Wellington police.

- NZPA