Ordeal: Madeleine Pulver had a 'bomb' strapped to her neck by an intruder and police had to spend ten painstaking hours trying to detach the device
An Australian schoolgirl who spent more than 10 hours with a bomb strapped to her by a hooded intruder who broke into her house was reunited with her parents tonight after a dramatic rescue.
Police bomb disposal experts, who had sought advice from British military authorities as they delicately worked to free Madeleine Pulver from the explosive package that had been attached to her, finally freed her from her terrifying ordeal - into the arms of her relieved mother and father.
The 18-year-old girl had been startled by the balaclava-clad intruder who left the device attached to her - as well as leaving, it is believed, a ransom note for her wealthy parents.
Her father, William, is the CEO of an internet share dealing company, called Nielsen Net Ratings and is said to be one of the richest men in Australia.
Her mother, Belinda, 51, has a top-notch landscaping company. The family has recently moved back from New York.
Today's drama was played out in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Mosman - home of multi-millionaires, sports figures, stockbrokers and bankers.
Police assistant commissioner Mark Murdoch admitted last night in the minutes after the girl was released from the device that bomb squad officers still did not know how dangerous it was.
But he indicated that it was not a fake device. 'It was examined right away for explosives and the delicate action we have taken in regard to it shows how serious the situation was,' he said.
Mr Murdoch said neither he nor the trained bomb squad officers had seen a device like it before.
'It is a very elaborate device and remains so. Our bomb technicians are one of the best in the world and it has taken them more than 10 hours to remove it.'
The tension that had been on Mr Murdoch's face throughout the afternoon and evening in Australia fell away last night when he announced at midnight that 'minutes ago we have secured the release of the young lady and she is safe and sound. She has been reunited with her parents.'
After finally being reunited with her parents Madeleine Pulver was rushed to hospital where doctors could examine the teenager
The intruder sneaked into the family's luxurious home and is understood to have strapped a 'device and a note' to the terrified schoolgirl's throat
The privately-schooled girl, who had just returned home from a family trip to New York, was due to be examined by doctors overnight.
'She's in good hands, with mum and dad,' Mr Murdoch told a press conference today.
'They're the most important people for her to be with right now.
'The family has endured something no one needs to endure and, as a parent, something I could never contemplate.'
Local reports said police believed a ransom note had been attached to the girl's neck, but bomb experts were unable to get close enough to read its contents until they had decided if it was safe to approach the package.
Tight knit: Madeleine Pulver, seen with her father Bill was examined by police and bomb experts while her parents had to wait for her rescue outside
Burrawong Avenue, Mosman, where the drama is being played out, is home to Australian racing identity Gai Waterhouse and ex-Wallaby rugby players Phil Kearns and John Eales.
The young woman's parents were outside the house comforting one another.
Police were scouring other 'items' inside the house while they moved Miss Pulver to the front part of the building.
There were some suggestions that the drama mirrored a scene from the horror movie Saw and an episode of the CSI crime show.
Tense: Police and bomb officers stood outside the mansion in, Mosman, Sydney where the 18-year-old girl had a bomb strapped to her collar
Nail-biting: Police officers, wearing protective equipment, had to spend hours trying to work out what the device was and how to free the terrified teenager
Holding their breath: While experts tried to free Madeleine, her parents waited outside and comforted each other
Police have not given any official details about the intruder, but officers confirmed that a stranger wearing a balaclava had entered the house and left a 'package' with her.
Assessing how dangerous it is, Mr Murdoch said the operation 'demands a high level of skill and must be meticulous'.
The high drama, which has stunned residents living in the leafy suburb where the value of many of the homes run into millions of dollars, began when the girl, who was home alone when the man entered, phoned police at about 2.30pm.
Delicate: Police cordoned off the street as the terrified girl's parents looked on. It is understood the wealthy family was being held to ransom
Emergency: Bomb officers spent ten hours trying to work out how they could diffuse the explosive device which had a note attached to it
Bomb threat: 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver has been named as the victim of a balaclava-clad intruder who strapped a bomb to her neck
Such is the concern about the package that police have cordoned off the house and closed a number of nearby streets. Some houses nearby have also been evacuated.
Assistant Commissioner Murdoch said at the time: 'We are still treating the suspicious package as live.
'I can't confirm whether it is strapped to the woman involved but she is still in the vicinity of the device.'
Asked if she could move away from the device, Mr Murdoch said: 'No, she can't get away from it.'
He said police had to 'hasten slowly' in a delicate situation like this.
He said police had to 'hasten slowly' in a delicate situation like this.
Assistant Commissioner Murdoch emerged from the large house at 8.40pm Australian time to confirm that the young woman was still inside, in a front room, and the volatility of the device had still not been determined.
‘The young lady remains in the house with the device and specialist police are trying to verify what we are dealing with,' he said.
‘Until we know what we are dealing with we will treat it with the utmost seriousness.
‘There are good operational reasons for us to continue playing our cards close to our chest.’
Mr Murdoch said police had found ‘some items’ in the house that were being examined and he confirmed that among the detectives involved in the drama were men from the Robbery and Serious Crime Squad who deal with extortion.
‘We are working hard to find out exactly what it is and equally importantly what it isn’t,’ said Mr Murdoch.
The young woman, he said, was ‘going pretty well’ and had specialist police with her.
Darkness: Temporary lights were used to conduct the operation while inside the multi-million pound property bomb officers tried to calm the girl
Battle: Police continued their efforts to free the teenager from the 'ransom' bomb as night fell on Burrawong Avenue in Mosman, Sydney
Desperate: Assistant commissioner Mark Murdoch answers questions about the bomb
‘We need to be very careful about what we say and do…we have to have it resolved as quickly as possible for the sake of the young lady and her family.’
Mr Murdoch said later - some 10 hours after the intruder is believed to have entered the house - that the device was proving to be 'a tough nut to crack'.
Four police officers, including two bomb specialists, were with the girl but Mr Murdoch said he could not estimate how long the drama would continue for.
'We are continuing to work very very hard under difficult circumstances and we are working very hard to ensure the welfare of the family.
'This operation is serious, it is delicate and we will have to take as long as it takes to ensure this young lady's safety.'
At that time the teenager's parents have not been able to speak to their daughter, said Mr Murdoch, but he did not say why. There was speculation that a phone call might trigger an explosion if, in fact, explosives are involved in the drama.
The suburb of Mosman, where the famous Taronga Park Zoo is located, is on the northern shores of Sydney harbour. Huge homes line the leafy streets and the luxury yachts of the rich and powerful are moored in harbour inlets.
Madeleine is a student at the exclusive North Sydney private school Wenona, where her classmates are children of the super rich.
The family had a share in an historic 946ha grazing property, which sold two months ago for just under $3.7 million, and they own a ritzy Central Coast beachhouse.
Last year, Mr Pulver's hi-tech information technology business, Appen, joined forces with the Butler Hill Group.
At the time of the multi-million-dollar merger, Mr Pulver, chief executive of the new company, Appen Butler Hill, said the two companies could provide linguistic and voice-recognition services in more than 120 languages for clients including software companies, security organisations, as well as global government agencies.
Customers include Microsoft, IBM, Fujitsu, Toshiba and Telstra.
The neighbourhood's nearby shopping area, known as Mosman village, is the home of numerous boutiques selling high-priced designer labels.
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