Man charged after gas cylinders were allegedly ignited and thrown into offices in Gosford’s CBD – as police are seen removing items including an angle grinder from his rural property

A 66-year-old man has been charged over the alleged firebombing of a government building and a legal office, as police were seen removing multiple items including an angle grinder, gas canisters and face masks from his sprawling rural property.

The ‘targeted attacks’ on the Legal Aid building and a lawyers’ firm in Gosford on the NSW Central Coast occurred shortly before 2.30pm on Thursday and sparked a mass evacuation and an immediate manhunt.

Police released a CCTV image of a white-haired, ‘chubby’ man in his 60s wearing a surgical mask, dull green cap and T-shirt and jeans with a bag sitting by his feet.

The individual was eventually arrested almost 24 hours after the alleged attacks at a sprawling, rural home in Wallarah, on NSW’s Central Coast, at 1.30pm on Friday.

He was taken to Wyong Police station where he was charged with two counts of destroying or damaging property with intent to endanger life.

He was refused bail and will face Parramatta Local Court on Saturday.

On Thursday night around a dozen detectives and forensic officers were seen combing the man’s rural property. 

They removed multiple items of interest, including surgical face masks, two baseball-style hats, two phones and a laptop, which were all bagged for evidence.

Police were also seen removing wires, bits of broken gas canisters and an angle grinder.

Shortly before 7pm, a flatbed truck towed away a white Mazda sedan.

A steel pressure cooker and a fuel container were also seen lying discarded on the grass.

‘This is a callous and brazen attack the way it’s been executed,’ Superintendent Darryl Jobson, Brisbane Water Police District Commander, told reporters on Friday.

‘This is an incident where there could have been an entirely different outcome, taking into consideration the circumstances and thankfully no one was seriously injured and there were no deaths on this occasion.’

Emergency services were initially called to the Legal Aid building on Donnison Street at about 2.20pm on Thursday following reports of explosions.

A short time later, police were called to the Kensmen building on the same street following reports of a fire and of smoke coming out of the third floor.

Superintendent Dobson said the suspected arsonist ‘ignited an improvised explosive device which I would describe as a small, domestic LPG (liquified petroleum gas) cylinder which caused a fire’.

‘The male has then left that location and it would appear that he has found or got another bag from another location that we are not aware of,’ he added.

The suspect then transported that ‘canvas bag on wheels’ to the Kensmen building, around 250metres up the road.

The man took a lift to level three where he allegedly ignited another firebomb outside the offices of Conditsis Lawyers.

Mr Dobson said detectives were not aware whether the man left the second building on foot or in a vehicle.

‘Motive is something that we are very interested in,’ he said on Friday.

‘It’s obviously that there is a reason why the man went to both locations and we are keen to ascertain what the reason is.’

Conditsis Lawyers director Michael Mantaj was one of those evacuated from the Legal Aid building where the explosions were reported.

‘I didn’t see the guy but someone threw an incendiary device. All staff are accounted for. Fortunately no-one was injured,’ he told the ABC.