Man arrested after making fake bomb threat on bus

A man could face five years’ jail after making a bomb threat aboard a bus bound for Melbourne.

The Firefly bus, which was travelling from Sydney to Melbourne, was intercepted by police on the Hume Freeway in Kalkallo after the 46-year-old man called authorities about 4.20am.

It’s believed the passenger locked himself in the toilet and called Triple Zero saying he was going to harm other passengers.

“He was threatening he had a bomb in his possession,” Detective Sergeant Costakis Costa told 9NEWS.

Heavily armed officers and sniffer dogs surrounded the vehicle and negotiated with the suspect on board.

No device was found, and the man was arrested.

During the ordeal, 30 other people on board the bus were told to evacuate.

“We had to sit outside in the cold for about an hour and a half,” one traveller said.

Another said the ordeal “was a bit of a shock because we were all sleeping”.

The suspect will undergo a mental health assessment at Northern Hospital.

Charges are yet to be laid.

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