A man has been arrested after Victoria Police deployed the bomb squad to Melbourne’s CBD.
Officers closed off Collins Street between Elizabeth Street and Queen Street at about midday on Wednesday, with the Bomb Response Unit deployed to conduct a safety check on a white Volkswagon golf parked outside the Optus Centre.
The scene was declared safe at about 1pm, with officers later seen removing a firearm from the car being searched.
Victoria Police released a statement a short time later seeking to allay community concerns.
“The meter is not terror-related and there is no immediate threat to community safety,” a police spokesperson said.
Police said they had arrested a 33-year-old man, who would be interviewed in relation to an ongoing Arson and Explosives Squad investigation.
The spokesperson said further information would be released once it is “operationally appropriate to do so.”