A man holding police at bay at a major ferry terminal in Brisbane's CBD is again dousing his yacht and a neighbouring vessel with liquid from a jerry can.
The New Zealand man was seen by media crews pouring liquid over the bow and front deck of a Brisbane City Council cross-river ferry which the yacht is moored alongside.
The 54-year-old Vietnam veteran called police at 5:00am (AEST) threatening self-harm and has been holding off police, fire and ambulance personnel since.
A 100-metre exclusion zone has been set up around the busy Eagle Street pier and police and a bomb detection robot are at the scene.
The man had earlier been seen on the boat's deck carrying a five-litre container of fuel and a long knife, playing a guitar and smoking.
This afternoon a police robot handed him a case containing a phone and what appeared to be a piece of paper.
The Riverside ferry terminal remains closed and council buses are running from Eagle Street to the Mowbray Park, Hawthorne and Bulimba Citycat terminals.
The alternate bus services will continue until 8:00pm (AEST).
'Cry for help'
A fellow yachtie and friend of the man says he is probably making a cry for help.
The man's friend of a few years said he had lived on his boat in Brisbane for two years and was close to the nomadic yachting community.
Other yachties are concerned for the welfare of the man.
"I think this is a cry for help - none of this was expected, none of us thought this would have happened," the friend said.
"He's had some health issues and some family issues. He's a nice guy, an ex-Vietnam vet, a super guy.
"This is completely out of character for him."
Source http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/25/3047865.htm
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