'Major threats' nixed at Batman shooter home: police

AURORA, Colorado: Police are hopeful they have defused the "remaining major threats" in the booby-trapped apartment of alleged Batman gunman James Holmes, a spokeswoman said Saturday after a controlled explosion.

But bomb experts say they will not be sure until they enter the third-floor apartment in Aurora, Colorado, where Holmes is accused over a movie premiere massacre early Friday that killed 12 and injured 58.

"We have been successful in disabling a second triggering device," said Aurora Police Department spokeswoman Sergeant Cassidee Carlson, shortly after a small blast could be heard, throwing debris out of a window.

"Although not certain, we are hopeful that we have eliminated the remaining major threats. However we will not know this until we have entered the apartment."

A police statement stressed that "many hazards remain inside," and that officers would remain on site "for hours" to collect evidence and mitigate the dangers.

"In the event that more triggering devices are found, there is a possibility of more controlled disruptions to occur," it said.

Five apartment blocks, including the one where Holmes lived, were evacuated shortly after he allegedly opened fire in a crowded theater showing an opening day midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." (AFP)