A masked man broke into the home of a wealthy family, chained a fake bomb to a teenage girl's neck and left a note of demands behind as part of an elaborate extortion attempt, Australian police said today.

A YOUNG Australian woman was freed from a suspected bomb collared around her neck yesterday after 10 hours of drama that captivated the nation, with police saying they were still investigating the incident.

A young woman apparently trapped by a booby-trapped bomb strapped to her body has been safely freed by an explosives squad in Australia after a 10-hour ordeal.