NEW YORK, Aug 10: The New Jersey police arrested man on Saturday for planting a fake bomb at a Pakistani-owned petrol station in North Brunswick. Jack Clark, 68, was later released and sent to a nearby psychiatric facility in Piscataway for observation, said Lt Mike Misurell of the North Brunswick Police Department.

Mr Clark got into a dispute over his car repairs with the owner of the petrol station, Chaudhry Tariq Hasan, on Saturday. He then left a package at the station that appeared to be a bomb, Misurell said.

Mr Hasan summoned police to the scene at 11:30pm on Saturday night.

The bomb unit X-rayed the package and found that it was a paint container rigged with a wire connected to a clock, police said. If convicted of the charge, Clark can face up to 10 years in prison, police said.

Mr Hasan agreed to police that it was a case of unsatisfied customer and not of hatred against the Pakistanis.