Forensic tests have begun on a homemade bomb found in a south Auckland garage to reveal who had a hand it assembling it.
The bomb was found by police executing a search warrant in rural Pokeno, at the home of a 35-year-old man who had failed to appear in court.
Officers found drug utensils, a sawn-off shotgun, a range of ammunition and a stolen motorbike during the search, but it was a discovery in the garage that most surprised them.
"We found a bomb-like device about the size of a loaf of bread on a shelf in the garage ... and it was immediately recognisable as something you wouldn't ordinarily find in a garage," Sergeant Noel Foster said of last Thursday's incident.
"That's what first raised our curiosity."
It is understood the bomb was relatively sophisticated, had several components and contained flammable gas, and had the potential to cause considerable damage if it was plugged in.
"It looked quite crude but it had wires going into it, and we were mindful that you don't know how sophisticated something is until you examine it," Sgt Foster said on Tuesday.
The bomb disposal unit was called to disable the device which was then handed to the Defence Force to be dissembled.
"Now they've given the items to us to examine to see if we can forensically identify the people that may have been involved in making it," Sgt Foster said.
He said while no bomb-making manuals were found in the house, "there's a lot of information on the internet".
"It's always worrying to find something like that. You really wonder ... why they decided to make it."
The resident was arrested several hours later when he returned home in a stolen car.
He will face Pukekohe District Court on October 5 to answer to charges relating to the bomb, stolen vehicles, firearms, cannabis plants and drug paraphernalia.
NZN