Arabic version: تقرير للشرطة في بابوا غينيا الجديدة يحدد الجسم المتفجر كمقذوف مدفعية صيني

According to ABC News, a police report has identified an object found in a commercial shipping container at a major Port Moresby wharf as an undetonated 130mm Chinese Type 59 artillery projectile containing chemical explosives and a fuse.

The discovery led to the arrest of four Chinese nationals on Friday. They remain in custody in Port Moresby. Papua New Guinea police and military explosives experts secured the 32-kilogram device, removed it from the wharf and took it away for analysis. An X-ray machine donated by Australia to the Royal Papua New Guinea Police was used to examine it.

The Chinese Embassy in Port Moresby said on social media that a company linked to the incident had carried out an “on-site verification” and concluded the object was a shell-shaped wine bottle. The embassy statement said it “poses no danger at all” and said officials were keeping PNG police fully updated while awaiting the police investigation’s official findings.

High-level sources told ABC News that the police report was finalised on Tuesday and provided to criminal investigators handling the case. Police Commissioner David Manning said officers had acted quickly after receiving information that an artillery round had been discovered. He said the area was secured to prevent harm in the surrounding area, allowing police and military explosive-disposal experts to examine the device and move it to a secure facility.