A man in a white protective suit and mask who sprayed workers at a Sunshine Coast pharmacy before producing a fake bomb is being sought by police.
The man was armed with a knife when he entered the Twin Waters store on Friday demanding cash and drugs from three female workers, including one who was 20 weeks pregnant.
He then forced the women to the back of the store, where he sprayed them with an unknown blue liquid.
The man left what appeared to be a bomb on the store counter, telling the women it was fitted with a motion sensor and may go off if they moved.
He then ran off with the cash and drugs.
The women were taken to hospital as a precaution but were unharmed and tests on the liquid came back clear.
Officers, including the bomb squad, were at the scene but an emergent situation was later cancelled after tests revealed the bomb was a fake.
Detective Sergeant Graeme Farlow said the man was a coward and urged anyone with information to come forward.
"This one is out of the ordinary, it's different and very concerning," he said on Saturday.
"I view this as an act of cowardice, what he's done to the ladies - one of the ladies being 20 months pregnant that is not on."
Officers are examining the fake bomb which contained an unknown substance.
The man is described as being in his 40s, Caucasian and of a slim build with grey/brown hair and between 180 to 185cm tall.
He was wearing a red shirt with a white logo and dark knee-length shorts under the HazMat suit as well as grey/white joggers.
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