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Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch: "We are treating this very seriously"
Australian bomb-disposal teams have surrounded a house in Sydney, amid reports that a young woman has had an explosive device strapped to her body.
Police said in a statement that they were called to the house in the suburb of Mosman by an 18-year-old woman.They said officers were in the house, where they were "examining the device and supporting the woman".
Assistant commissioner Mark Murdoch said he would not confirm whether the device was attached to the woman.
"There is a device in the house that is in the near vicinity of the young woman; that device is still being examined," he said.
"We are treating the suspicious package as live until we know otherwise."
The BBC's Nick Bryant, who is at the scene, said the teenager's parents were outside the house communicating with police officers.
He said there were rumours that the incident was linked to an extortion attempt.
Emergency crews have evacuated nearby houses in Mosman, which is one of Sydney's wealthiest suburbs.
Several streets have been cordoned off, and ambulances and fire crews are on site.
Roger White, a reporter with 2UE Radio in Sydney, said police were appealing for local residents to come forward if they had seen anyone in the area who should not have been there.
"We understand she had this device placed around her neck, with a ransom note attached to it, by someone who burst into her home and then took off," he said.
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