The man who allegedly left the hoax bomb in La Herradura's gasolinera was arrested on Thursday in Nerja and held in police custody.

The 44-year-old man, who apparently has mental issues, was being held in police custody until he appeared before a magistrate yesterday. He has been released without bail pending trial.

He has been charged with causing a public disturbance and has to sign in at the court on the 1st  and 15th of each month.

On Wednesday the Spanish Bomb-Disposal Squad (Técnicos Especialista en Desactivación de Artefactos Explosivos or Tedax for short) took the suspicious object to their base to subject it to an X-ray, once it was determined that it was not an explosive device. It turns out that it was a large jar of lentils and one of hand gel, taped together with gaffer tape. There were also three wires and a mobile phone.

The accused has hired criminal lawyer, Félix Fernández, after  his arrest yesterday to defend him.

Note: gaffer tape, a term used in French, Dutch and Danish, but known as ‘cinta americana’ in Spain or ‘klebeband’ in Germany, was invented by Ross Lowell in 1959. He was a cinematographer, filmmaker and Oscar winner whose inventions kept movie sets, lighting equipment and cables together and helped actors find their marks onstage.

It was based on Johnson & Johnson’s Permacel tape (also known as duct tape) but he added a tough, cloth backing and changed the type of adhesive because he also needed a tape that wouldn’t leave a sticky residue on surfaces once removed, unlike duct tape. Finally, a ‘gaffer’ is the chief electrical technician on a film set.

(News: Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)