Bomb gear in backpack

AN 18-year-old is behind bars after he was allegedly caught carrying materials for a bomb in his backpack in Sydney’s west.

Officers stopped the man in Parramatta on Wednesday morning and allegedly found items “consistent with the manufacture of an improvised explosive device”, NSW Police said yesterday.

The 18-year-old, from Telopea, was charged and later fronted Parramatta Local Court, where he was formally refused bail. He is due back at the same court next Wednesday.