A man found with live explosives at Wollongong Railway Station on Thursday afternoon has been identified in court as Albion Park Rail man, Lindsay Harris.
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The 35-year-old was stopped on the platform by transport police just before peak hour and spoken to about travelling without a valid ticket.
A check of the police computer system revealed Harris was wanted for breaching his bail after failing to report to police on outstanding charges.
He was placed under arrest. During a search of his bag, police found a container with an explosive label and a fuse protruding from inside.
Further investigation revealed Harris had 12 railway detonators in the container, each of which had been cut open from its plastic covering to expose the explosive material.
Officers still set up a 25 metre exclusion zone around the area and called in a Police Rescue crew.
Officers who examined the device confirmed it was unlikely to detonate without considerable force, however could have caused a fire if the fuse had been ignited by a flame.
The item was sealed in an appropriate container before being booked into Lake Illawarra Police Station as an exhibit.
Meanwhile, police also discovered a small amount of methylamphetamine in Harris' bag.
Harris was taken to Wollongong Police Station where he was charged with possessing an explosive in a public place, possessing a prohibited drug and travelling without a valid ticket.
When interviewed, Harris told police he'd found the container of detonators at a scrap yard in Port Kembla and, after lighting one of them, decided to make the device.
However, he told police he'd been too "shit-scared" to use it.
Meanwhile, ;ocal police confirmed they had consulted with the NSW Police Counter Terrorism Command and the matter was not being treated as a terrorism-related offence.
Harris was refused bail overnight and fronted Wollongong Local Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to each of the offences.
He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
He will remain behind bars until his sentencing on Tuesday.
The magistrate ordered a background report ahead of the proceedings.
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