This article doesn’t say very much, really. You would think that it takes a significant find to convince a judge to impose a half million dollar bail, but the memory of Mike Nifong is still fresh.
Many things can be used to make an incendiary device. This includes gasoline, paint, smokeless powder, and many common household items. Match heads can be used to make a bomb.
So what did they have that was deserving of this bail? Until we’re told, I have to adopt a wait and see attitude.
So they had some pipes and a can of gas. I've often had similar items in my car. I may even own materials for making my own fireworks. In the (quite likely) possibility that they are just naive kids I hope they have some rich relatives to post bond.