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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4060134.html
Residue of Texas City fatal blast detonated
>>In preparation for the planned blast, officials had ordered the evacuation of the Oaks apartments and other homes near the Lakeview.
Members of the Galveston County Sheriff's Office were assisting in the evacuations. Before the prepared detonation, FBI Special Agent Kasey Salway said he expected the blast would cause cause a minimum amount of damage.
But he added: "This stuff is extremely sensitive to heat, shock and friction...We can't identify exactly what this stuff is." He declined comment on the nature of the investigation.
The FBI refused to say whether it believes the men were preparing some kind of attack.
But Texas City Mayor Matt Doyle said: "If we thought this was a terrorist act, the action would be a lot different than we've seen here today. Certainly, the FBI would have raised the level of security inside the city.''
Salway described the substance as similar to TATP, organic peroxide and a primary high explosive. It takes the form of a white crystalline powder with a distinctive acrid smell and has been described as a weapon of choice for suicide bombers.
TATP can be easily prepared in a basement lab using commercially available starting materials obtained from hardware stores, pharmacies, and stores selling cosmetics, according to the Global Security Web site. <<