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  • Bunbury
    A sign put up by the hostage-taker.Twitter
  • A camera footage shows a man in black hood lying on the ground, while a middle-aged man strapped with explosives sitting cross legged.
    A camera footage shows a man in black hood lying on the ground, while a middle-aged man strapped with explosives sitting cross legged.Twitter

A man wearing an 'explosive-laden jacket' has taken a youth hostage on Thursday evening at the Bunbury in south-west Australia. It has been over five hours but the police have not been able to secure the hostage yet.

Police was notified of a suspected hostage crisis at the Koombana Bay area just west of the Bunbury CBD at around 6.20pm on Thursday, 9News reported.

Australian broadcaster ABC reported that the entire area has been cordoned off and the police were trying to rescue the hostage. The police has not released the identity of the hostage-taker.

Unconfirmed reports on social media claim that the Bunbury hostage taker may be David Charles Batty. The 52-year old has a history of mental-illness and has been on the run from a mental hospital in Perth. Batty also reportedly has three criminal charges against him.[Via Crimestoppers]

In a statement on Twitter, WA Police said that it was aware of the identity of the man and would make all efforts to resolve the issue peacefully. The police have spoken to the hostage-taker and are still trying to convince him to end the situation.

The police, fire services and ambulances are already at the scene. Snipers also reportedly have been deployed.

The Western Australia police claim that the incident at a park in Bunbury is a 'volatile situation,' following which a Special Tactical Response Unit from Perth were called in.

The heavily armed unit has surrounded the area with armoured vehicles and media has been asked to leave the park, ABC journalist Nicole Asher tweeted.

Blurry images posted from the Bunbury park show officers wearing bullet-proof vest lying on the ground, while the suspect and the hostage could be seen at some distance.

According to Bunbury Mail, the hostage situation is unfolding at the Leschenault Inlet near the Bunbury CBD. Eyewitnesses claim that a middle-aged man with explosives strapped around him has taken a young man as hostage.

The hostage wearing a black hoodie is lying on the ground, while the middle-aged man with the explosives is sitting cross-legged. 

The hostage-taker has put up a large sign on a vehicle, which says: "Police Release Batty Archibald CCC Report". It is, however, still not clear as to who Batty Archibald is and what does the hostage-taker really want?

It but speculated that demand may have to do with some report from the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC), an Australian anti-corruption body, which investigates misconduct in the public sector.

The anti-corruption unit, mainly works with the Western Australian public sector and helps public sector agencies to minimise and manage misconduct.

More details awaited: