Aphoto published by several Bolivian media outlets showing contents of a backpack Bolivian police said belonged to one of three Australians waiting to board a Gol flight to Brazil. Photo: FA/El Deber

Three young Australians apparently on the holiday of a lifetime have been arrested at a Bolivian international airport after explosives were found in one of the men's backpack.

Australians Julian Giovanni Vicenzo Musumeci, 24, Justin Maurice Kwong Wei Sun, 25, and Liam Mark Eales, 25, were reported by Bolivian and Brazilian news outlets as being held in custody in Bolivia awaiting a judge's orders after their arrest last week.

It is understood two of the men have now been released but remain in Bolivia, while the remaining man awaits trial, according to Liam Eales' father, Geoff.

A photo published by several Bolivian media outlets showing the backpack and contents Bolivian police said could be used as a homemade explosive device. Photo: FA/El Deber

The trio were stopped on November 12 at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz de La Sierra, while waiting to board flight G3 7601 to South America's busiest airport, Guarulhos, in Sao Paulo.

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A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra confirmed DFAT was providing consular assistance to three Australians arrested in Bolivia and said "due to privacy reasons we will not be making further comment".

Bolivian media have published this unverified photo of Australian Julian Giovanni Vicenzo Musumeci. Photo: FA/El Deber

Santa Cruz de Sierra newspaper El Deber quoted Warnes police commander Freddy Meneses as saying the trio was searched in a pre-boarding area after having passed through security. Bolivian anti-narcotics special forces found the alleged explosives in a backpack.

El Deber later reported a backpack alleged to belong to Musumeci contained "a dynamite canister, a detonator and a bag of pink granules yet to be identified" which police said could be used as a homemade explosive device.

Reached at work in Townsville, Mr Eales' father said his son had not been charged and was free to leave Bolivia – but had been asked to stay by the lawyer for the charged man.

"It's just been a lot of crap quite frankly, a lot of bullshit about nothing, from Liam's point of view," Geoff Eales said. "He's done absolutely nothing wrong, he's got nothing to answer for."

Mr Eales said his son had got on the plane without incident but when one of his companions had been detained he "went back" for him and was also arrested.

"He's been asked to wait around until his friend goes through his court case. That will be happening shortly. His friend is out of jail as well. That's all I know."

Bolivian media reported the Australians as saying they had been travelling since October 23, having visited La Paz, Sucre, Uyuni and Potosi, a mining tourist region, where the items had been obtained.

The carrying of explosives at Bolivian airports carries a jail sentence of three to five years.  

In a statement published by G1, a news website belonging to Brazil's media conglomerate Globo, Gol confirmed one of the passengers had "prohibited items in his hand luggage". After their arrest the aircraft and all remaining passengers were searched and the flight was allowed to proceed with an hour-and-a-half's delay, the airline said.

According to Mr Musameci's social media posts he was a student at James Cook University in Queensland. The university refused to confirm this, citing privacy laws. In a statement it said "JCU is aware that three Australian men have been arrested in Bolivia and they are receiving consular assistance". 

With Lisa Cox

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