Qld bandit leaves device beside bowser

A man has been charged after a suspicious device left beside a petrol pump in Brisbane sparked a major response by the bomb squad.

Police say a man went to a Fortitude Valley service station at about 1.20am on Tuesday and left the device beside the bowser.

He then went inside and threatened the attendant, warning about the device and demanding cash.

The man then fled in a taxi with the money and other goods.

Bomb squad officers were called to check the device ad it took them almost four hours to determine that it posed no threat.

A the 50-year-old man has been charged with armed robbery and making a bomb hoax and will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning.