Stolen Ammonium Nitrate Found In N.M.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Seven bags of the kind of explosive material used in the Oklahoma City bombing were found Friday in a dry river bed, days after they were stolen.

The bags, containing a total of 350 pounds of ammonium nitrate, had been stolen from an Albuquerque-based company that distributes explosives used in mining and construction.

The bags, stacked up off an embankment and partially covered with tree limbs, were found by people walking in Albuquerque's western outskirts, Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White said.

``It was a pretty flimsy attempt to try to conceal it,'' White said. ``One can't help but think the situation became too hot and the decision was made to dump it.''

Although one bag was torn, ``probably while it was being abandoned,'' White said the ammonium nitrate ``was in pretty safe condition.''

Ammonium nitrate is used as fertilizer but can become a powerful explosive when mixed with fuel oil. The government estimated about 4,800 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer was used to make the bomb that killed 168 people at Oklahoma City's federal building in 1995.

``This material in the hands of people with evil intentions, the outcome could have been very destructive,'' White said.

The explosives were stolen from Titan Energy's property near an Interstate 40 exit west of Albuquerque.

The company called authorities Tuesday after employees discovered someone had pried open a semitrailer where the bags of ammonium nitrate were stored. The last time anyone saw the bags was Nov. 19, said Wayne Dixie, the state's resident agent in charge for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

``This material in the hands of people with evil intentions, the outcome could have been very destructive,'' White said.

This material doesn't need to be stolen. It is almost as readily available as sawdust (which can also be made into an explosive). Dirt cheap as well.

I'm still thinking it was the truck that was stolen and the nitrate was just in there. They probably dumped it to get rid of the stuff cause they had no use for it and didn't want to have it taking up space in somebodys garage. The covering of sticks was probably just to put a bit of time between them and the dumpsite, not to keep it's location a big secret.

Seven bags of the kind of explosive material used in the Oklahoma City bombing were found Friday in a dry river bed, days after they were stolen.

Tsk Tsk. Always sensationalizing things, aren't we? Ammonium nitrate has a variety of non-explosive related uses.

Whose to say it wasn't stolen by some black market beet farmers, for example?

Whoever it was, you know it was Democrats. It's always Democrats when fertilizer is involved. . .

It is almost as readily available as sawdust

I'm not an expert in these things, but my understanding is that AN sold as fertilizer is not that useful as an explosive- it has to be ground to a powdermixed w/fuel, etc.

I believe the stuff they are talking about was already compounded as an explosive- i.e. a detonator/booster, and it's ready to go.

Then again, I may be completely wrong. *grin*

I believe the stuff they are talking about was already compounded as an explosive- i.e. a detonator/booster, and it's ready to go.

I don't think so. The article seems to indicate that it was just plain old nitrate used for blasting, which is usually mixed (with fuel oil or diesel or some other cheap oil) just prior to use. Mixed ANFO doesn't hold up well and is somewhat dangerous to store (fire hazzard more than explosion hazzard, and it really stinks. it also has a tendency to seperate out, drip an leak from anything other than a liquid tight container and the atticle mentions bags).

Ammonium nitrate is an interesting substance. It is both an explosive in itself and an oxidizer used to make explosives. IN it's anhydrous form (which is close to unstorable since it is highly hygroscopic) all that is needed is a good initiating charge and it realy goes boom big time. In it's regular form (always hydrated to some extent due to its nature) it can be used as an oxidizing agent and mixed with fuel oil of some sort to make a fairly potent but low grade explosive (needs a detonator or initiating charge, it won't explode form a fuse or flame) which is ideal in both performance and cost for blasting use. Other fuels such as aluminum powder (really goes bang well), charcoal dust (a good but not great bang) or most any powdered oxididizable material can be used to make a low grade dry explosive. To get a much higher explosive (high explosive detonation rate) a mixture of nitromethane and nitrate or nitromethane, aluminum powder and nitrate is easily made and will initiate from a common military grade blasting cap (or any homemade fulminate, HMTD, acetate, etc. primary cap or an azide/picric acid two stage cap (easily fabricated from a few things you probably already posess)). But if you want to realy get the biggest blast for the money, a mixture of hydrazine, amonium nitrate ande aluminum powder can be really impressive (be sure to wear a moon suit while handling hydrazine). If using the prilled nitrate that farmers and gardeners use for fertilizer, it is best to grind them up into a fine powder before use to insure reliable detonation and explosive performance.

BTW, anyone other than a licensed and experienced explosive man doing any of these things is an complete idiot that needs the prison time for his own protection if he survives.

If using the prilled nitrate that farmers and gardeners use for fertilizer, it is best to grind them up into a fine powder before use to insure reliable detonation and explosive performance.

That's what I was thinking of- seemed to recall (Anarchist Cookbok?) the necessity of grinding before mixing.

By the way- have you heard the rumor that the AC was as COINTELPRO operation, wherein the recipes were deliberately incorrect, the intention being to help Weathermen types to blow themselves up?

At any rate, I'm glad I put the disclaimer at the end of my post!

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