A deliveryman spotted a white paper bag that contained an alarm clock bound to a rectangular object with electrical insulating tape near the back entrance of a Siam Commercial Bank branch at about 6.30am yesterday, Colonel Sathorn Saisomboon, deputy commander for Metropolitan Police area 7, said.

The bank is near Soi Jaruslarp, which connects to the soi on which Thaksin's house is located.

Police called in bomb disposal officials, who took about 30 minutes to determine that the package was a fake. They said it was an old battery tied with wire to the clock.

Officials also found a note scrawled with abusive language about Thaksin inside the bag. The fake bomb was to be dusted for fingerprints.