The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

A LIVE hand grenade was thrown through the front door of Punch Publications, prompting an emergency lockdown of Farrington Road until the bomb squad could remove the explosive and safely detonate it.

Staff at the tabloid newspaper say they have had threats in the past, but no recent cause for concern and have no idea who could have targeted their building.

Police were alerted to the situation at around 11:45pm Monday when an alarm went off at the publication’s headquarters on Ajax Street.

The initial report was that a stone had been thrown through the glass front door, but when officers responded they found the grenade, with the pin pulled out, lying in the entrance just beyond the shattered door.

The bomb squad was alerted immediately, and they “collected the detonating device to be diffused at a remote location,” according to a police source.

However, some news reports indicated that the device was subject to a controlled detonation where it was found.

The carpet and panelling near the grenade, undamaged in early photos, seem to have been impacted to some extent during or after its removal.

Speaking with The Tribune, Jill Albury, Punch marketing manager, said the newspaper had received no recent threats of any kind.

She also said the company has now decided to take several precautions in an effort to protect staff.

“It is true, we had a grenade thrown through our front door just before midnight. When I got the call and came here it looked like the Gaza strip. There were fire trucks and police cars and the bomb squad everywhere. They had the entire area blocked off with yellow tape and no one could get in – walking or driving,” she said.

“The incident has been turned over to police for further investigation but we are open and we will continue to go on. We are taking precautions. Luckily no one was hurt. We are open for business, but it was a live grenade, the pin was out and it could have exploded. We are not afraid to come to work, we are here now, we just have to be extra careful,” she said.

The Tribune attempted to contact the owner of The Punch Ivan Johnson for comment, but calls were not returned up to press time.