A businessman and his family were given the jitters when a home-made bomb exploded in the porch of their house in Taman Perkasa, Permatang Tengah in Butterworth today.

The incident occurred at 3.10am when the businessman and his seven family members were fast asleep on the upper floor of his double-storey terrace house.

Seberang Perai deputy police chief Supt Shukri Awang said a bomb squad and a forensic unit was rushed to the scene after receiving a report from the victim at about 8am.

"Police found debris of a home-made bomb scattered in the compound of the house while the front wall sustained some damage," he told reporters here today.

Car damaged

The impact of the blast also damaged a car parked in the porch.

Shukri said the closed circuit camera installed at the house recorded a black object rolling in front of the house before it got stuck at the gate and exploding.

However, he said police had yet to take a detailed statement from the businessman as he was still in trauma over the incident.

He added  that the businessman had recently lodged a police report about receiving death threats through phone calls from unknown individuals who had also threatened to kidnap and kill his children if he did not pay them a certain amount of money.

- Bernama