Australian police say they have freed a teenager trapped inside an upscale Sydney home for nearly 10 hours with an apparent bomb strapped to her body.
A police spokesman, commenting immediately after the young woman was rescued by a bomb squad, said authorities did not yet know whether the device was explosive.
The victim was reported safe and reunited with her parents.
The spokesman also told reporters a probe was launched immediately after the rescue, and said police believe the investigation will "take a number of hours."
Earlier, as the ordeal unfolded, police declined to confirm local reports that an intruder had strapped a so-called "collar bomb" to the young woman, who called police from her home Wednesday afternoon.
Australian television, quoting local media, said a note was also attached to the woman's neck as part of a suspected extortion attempt. The report said the unidentified woman belongs to one of Sydney's wealthiest families.