Three Australian backpackers arrested at Bolivian airport as they attempt to board a flight when 'police find explosives in one of their bags'

  • Three Australians have been arrested at the Bolivian International Airport
  • Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are providing consular assistance
  • Julian Giovanni Vicenzo Musumeci, 24, Justin Maurice Kwong Wei Sun, 25, and Liam Mark Eales, 25 have been named as those in trouble
  • The trio were stopped on November 12 in Santa Cruz de La Sierra

Three Australian backpackers have been arrested at Bolivia International Airport after explosives were reportedly found in one of the travellers' backpacks.

Local news outlets have reported the trio as Julian Giovanni Vicenzo Musumeci, 24, Justin Maurice Kwong Wei Sun, 25, and Liam Mark Eales, 25. 

Mr Musmeci and Mr Eales are originally from Townsville in Queensland, while Ms Sun grew up in Sydney. 

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Three Australian tourists were arrested in Bolivia after police found explosives in one of their bakcpacks

Three Australian tourists were arrested in Bolivia after police found explosives in one of their bakcpacks

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed they are providing consular assistance to the three Australians, but have refused to comment on reports explosives were found in one of their backpacks.

Authorities allege 'a dynamite canister, a detonator and a bag of pink granules yet to be identified' were found in Julian Musumeci's (pictured) backpack

Authorities allege 'a dynamite canister, a detonator and a bag of pink granules yet to be identified' were found in Julian Musumeci's (pictured) backpack

The group were said to have been stopped on November 12 at  Bolivia's Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz de La Sierra, while waiting to board a flight to South America's busiest airport, Guarulhos, in Sao Paulo. 

Warnes Police chief Freddy Meneses said the men had passed through security but were searched before they boarded their flight, according to Bolivian publication El Deber.

Authorities allege 'a dynamite canister, a detonator and a bag of pink granules yet to be identified' were found in Mr Musumeci's backpack.

They believe the items could have been used to make a homemade explosive device.

Mr Meneses said the 'possession of explosives before the Bolivian laws, are dealt with severe punishment'. 

Mr Eales' father Geoff told Fairfax Media two of the men have been released but remain in the country, while the remaining man awaits trial. 

He said his son Liam had not been charged and was not required to stay in Bolivia, but was asked not to leave by the charged man's lawyer.

Also part of the trio were Liam Eales (left) and Justin Sun (right) and it's understood they had been travelling through South America together

'It's just been a lot of crap quite frankly, a lot of bulls**t about nothing, from Liam's point of view,' Geoff Eales told Fairfax, adding his son had done 'nothing wrong'.

'He's done absolutely nothing wrong, he's got nothing to answer for.'  

It is understood the trio had been travelling around South America and had been in Bolivia since October 23, where they had visited La Paz, Sucre, Uyuni and Potsi.  

 

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