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High-tech explosives stolen from US store
The Times of India ^ | Tuesday, December 20, 2005 11:13:53 am | The Press Trust of India

Posted on 12/20/2005 12:13:44 AM PST by CarrotAndStick

NEW YORK: Huge amounts of high-tech explosives, including 67 kgs of commerical plastic explosives, which could be used to make numerous bombs, have been stolen from a private storage facility in the southwestern US state of New Mexico, officials said on Tuesday.

The thieves used blowtorches to cut through the thick steel walls of a bunker where the explosives were stored, ABC news said quoting the officials. The missing 400 pounds of explosives includes 150 pounds of what is known as C-4 plastic, or 'sheet explosive,' which can be shaped and moulded and is often used by terrorists and military operatives.

Also, 2,500 detonators were missing from the storage explosive container, or magazine, in a bunker owned by Cherry Engineering. Federal investigators probing the theft said there is no indication terrorism is involved. The theft, ABC said, is one of the largest reported cases from a facility in the United States.

In the decade ending 2004, a total of about 1,000 pounds was reported stolen from government facilities in 14 reported incidents. A special agent was quoted as saying the incident is unusual because such high-powered material was targeted.

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©Bennett, Coleman and Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Estd. 1838.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; US: New Mexico
KEYWORDS: c4; cherryengineering; detonators; explosives; india; isolatedincident; missing; newmexico; plastic; plasticexplosives; robbery; thieves; wot
I checked if this was posted earlier, but didn't find any.
1 posted on 12/20/2005 12:13:46 AM PST by CarrotAndStick
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To: Travis McGee; Cindy

.


2 posted on 12/20/2005 12:19:08 AM PST by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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To: CarrotAndStick

Anonymous officials? Hmmmm.

No alarms, guards, etc? Cutting torches and high explosives don't mix. I call possible hoax. Hope I'm right. We DON'T need more explosives out on the street.


3 posted on 12/20/2005 12:20:15 AM PST by The Spirit Of Allegiance (SAVE THE BRAINFOREST! Boycott the RED Dead Tree Media & NUKE the DNC Class Action Temper Tantrum!)
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To: CarrotAndStick

Sounds like someone will be losing a contract...

It also sounds like Deta Sheet, not C-4.


4 posted on 12/20/2005 12:23:14 AM PST by Triggerhippie (Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.)
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To: piasa

Yep. Both these articles caught my attention today.

http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/news/5579308/detail.html

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10527669/


5 posted on 12/20/2005 12:33:01 AM PST by Cindy
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To: Blurblogger

"Cutting torches and high explosives don't mix."

Clearly, nobody in their right mind would apply a cutting torch to the metal wall of a bunker knowing that there was high explosives on the other side UNLESS they knew that the explosives were not near the walls.

Hoax or inside job!


6 posted on 12/20/2005 12:34:29 AM PST by the_Watchman
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To: the_Watchman

Maybe hoax. But are plastic explosives heat sensitive? I thought they require electrical detonation.


7 posted on 12/20/2005 12:42:34 AM PST by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: CarrotAndStick
Federal investigators probing the theft said there is no indication terrorism is involved.

Who then, a bunch of boyscouts?

8 posted on 12/20/2005 1:07:04 AM PST by blondee123 (Close our borders to illegals! Don't try to appease us!)
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To: CarrotAndStick

It was posted earlier, but with a different headline. I thought I had seen it.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1543505/posts


9 posted on 12/20/2005 1:08:48 AM PST by blondee123 (Close our borders to illegals! Don't try to appease us!)
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To: the_Watchman
Clearly, nobody in their right mind would apply a cutting torch to the metal wall of a bunker knowing that there was high explosives on the other

We have Darwin award winners loose and in the wild...

10 posted on 12/20/2005 1:48:01 AM PST by AmericaUnited
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To: Blurblogger; the_Watchman; AmericaUnited

No, C-4 is not sensitive to heat alone, and it's highly likely that the thieves/terrorists knew that (since they used cutting torches to get in, according to the posted piece).

Even though the thieves probably knew about what they were after, I'm not going to go into any more properties of C-4 publicly. Suffice to say that horrid damage could be done with that amount of the material. I hope that the thieves and all of the demo material are found soon.


11 posted on 12/20/2005 2:27:57 AM PST by familyop (Essayons!)
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To: Blurblogger; the_Watchman; AmericaUnited

It appears from the article that the thieves/terrorists knew in advance where the stuff they wanted was, too.


12 posted on 12/20/2005 2:32:30 AM PST by familyop (Essayons!)
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To: CarrotAndStick

"Federal investigators probing the theft said there is no indication terrorism is involved."

Yeh. It was probably taken for a Fourth of July fireworks display.


13 posted on 12/20/2005 4:17:53 AM PST by RoadTest (Religion never saved a soul - that's Jesus' job.)
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To: RoadTest
"Federal investigators probing the theft said there is no indication terrorism is involved."

Technichly correct statement. "Terrorism" wasn't involved, but were "terrorists" involved. That is the question. The terrorism would come later using the stolen explosives.

14 posted on 12/20/2005 6:06:19 AM PST by mc5cents
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To: piasa; Squantos
Sounds like a serious job. AQ?

"The thieves used blowtorches to cut through the thick steel walls of a bunker where the explosives were stored, ABC news said quoting the officials. The missing 400 pounds of explosives includes 150 pounds of what is known as C-4 plastic,"

15 posted on 12/20/2005 8:39:30 AM PST by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
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To: Travis McGee; All

Same incident

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1543505/posts


16 posted on 12/20/2005 8:51:45 AM PST by vrwc0915
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To: Travis McGee; CougarGA7
Two things.....

Federal investigators probing the theft said there is no indication terrorism is involved and the statement Also, 2,500 detonators were missing from the storage explosive container, or magazine

....... caps and C-4 stolen from same bunker ?

Both statements are diversional BS of course.....BB stacker rule 1 is dets and bulk don't get stored togeather.

And if Alphabet agencies already know it wasn't terrorism connected why don't they already have the "rest" of the case solved....:o)

Granted this is a Guru Bob and his wifes Spot's Bulletin from bumphucsomewhere but gheeeeesh....

17 posted on 12/20/2005 8:52:00 AM PST by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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To: the_Watchman

The type of explosives mentioned in the article wouldn't go BOOM from heat.


18 posted on 12/20/2005 8:53:35 AM PST by Safetgiver (Noone spoke when the levee done broke, Blanco cried and Nagin lied.)
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To: Squantos

We're only getting the mushroom version of the news in this type of case.
Keep them in the dark, and feed them $#!+.


19 posted on 12/20/2005 9:38:46 AM PST by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
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To: Travis McGee

I'm sending you my puter wallpaper from work......:o)

Check e-mail in a few......LOL !


20 posted on 12/20/2005 10:16:01 AM PST by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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