Failed bikie bomb bought locally - Sydney Morning Herald

AAP

A bomb that stopped ticking 17 minutes before it was set to explode outside a Sydney hotel was allegedly assembled by a bikie with parts he bought from a popular electronics store.

Comanchero member Samy Duong, 40, was denied bail in Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday after police charged him with placing the device outside the door of the notorious Mill Hotel, at Milperra, on the morning of July 25.

Police say the timer of the sophisticated device stopped 17 minutes before detonation.

A staff member located it about 7am (AEST), when the premises was shut to patrons but about 20 guests were staying at the hotel.

Duong is accused of buying some of the items at a Jaycar Electronics store, the court heard.

Magistrate Gary Still rejected the argument from Duong's solicitor that the case against him was circumstantial.

"It's way too serious for me to grant bail," Mr Still said.

"The potential was catastrophic."

Duong has a shaved head, muscular build and tattoos on his arms and wore a dark blue New York Yankees T-shirt in the dock.

He smiled and winked at his partner who sat in the gallery.

Magistrate Still remanded him into custody until December 6, when he can apply again for bail in the same court.

The hotel, previously known as the Viking Tavern, was where seven people died in a shootout between rival bikie gangs the Comancheros and the Bandidos in 1984.

Director of Organised Crime Arthur Katsogiannis said the guests staying at the hotel could have been severely injured or killed.

"The timer had stopped with 17 minutes on the clock before the actual device went off," Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Katsogiannis told reporters on Tuesday.

He would not comment on the potential destructiveness of the device but a senior police source told AAP there were enough explosives to level the premises.

The Gangs Squad arrested Duong at a hotel in Liverpool about 9am (AEST) on Tuesday and charged him with attempting to damage the premises by explosive.

Police would not reveal if any of the guests were potential targets of the alleged bomb attempt and detectives were not aware why the timer failed.

It is no longer a bikie hangout, police say, and the hotel observes a "no colours" policy for patrons.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.