Texas authorities now looking at the WestTown fertilizer plant explosion as CRIMINAL.

AP ^ | Harris Faulkner

[ConservativeMan55]

Texas authorities now looking at the WestTown fertilizer plant explosion as CRIMINAL.

[JLAGRAYFOX]

You have it down pat!!!

[thackney]

You stated it was too big to be an accident.

You must not understand the explosive power of ammonium nitrate.

If you read some of the links in this thread, you may gain some understanding.

Cheers.

[P-Marlowe]

I was talking about the fire before the explosion.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

weirdbeards or nutty homegrown dems?

I heard stories that they had anhydrous ammonia on site in addition to the tons of ammonium nitrate. Both are used as fertilizer however the anhydrous is often used by meth cookers in the synthesis of methamphetamine. The stories reported several suspicious break-ins with apparent theft of anhydrous. It is unlikely the anhydrous itself contributed to the fire because even though it is 3 parts hydrogen to 1 part nitrogen it is very difficult to ignite. However, the person(s) breaking in may have started a fire to destroy evidence of their theft.

Regards,
GtG

[LA Woman3]

The Texas Rangers have joined in the investigation.

[LA Woman3]

http://www.kcentv.com/story/22216615/west-man-arrested#.UY2CJsLLTmY.facebook

[LA Woman3]

WEST (May 10, 2013)— A West man was arrested in the early morning hours of Friday and is being held in the McLennan County Jail. Federal Marshals arrested him for possessing a destructive device.

Bryce Ashley Reed, 31, is being held without bond on the charge of possession of a destructive device.

The McLennan County Sheriff's Office released a statement saying on May 7 their bomb squad responded to a location in Abbott where they rendered safe an explosive device.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Texas State Fire Marshal arrested Reed this morning following an investigation earlier this week.

The criminal complaint against Reed has been released by the United States District Court. In that complaint, it states the McLennan County Sheriff's Office responded to a residence in Abbott for a possible destructive device.

The device components found had been in the possession of Reed.

At the residence, investigators found a galvanized metal pipe measuring 3.5 inches long by 1.5 inches in diameter. Two galvanized end caps were attached to the pipe. One of those end caps had a drilled hole about 1/8 inch in diameter. The canisters had an unknown amount of hobby fuse, a lighter, a digital scale, a plastic spoon, six coils of metal ribbon and several pounds of chemical powders in individual bags.

The powders included Potassium Nitrate, Aluminum powder, Red Iron Oxide, Ammonium Perchlorate, Potassium Perchlorate, Sulfur powder, Air Float Charcoal and Eckart 10890 German Dark Aluminum.

Chemists we spoke to confirmed the ingredients are consistent with gunpowder, thermite and oxidants used to fuel fires.

Investigators discovered, "The resident had unwittingly taken possession of the components from Reed on April 26, 2013."

Other law enforcement officials said Reed admitted to possessing the components of the pipe bomb.

According to NBC's Pete Williams, a friend of Reed's discovered he had explosive devices and notified authorities.

NBC is also reporting that Reed was an employee of Children's Medical Center as a paramedic but has been on leave since April 3. He started working at the Medical Center on January 7.

Hospital policy does not allow them to say why Reed was placed on leave.

Reed made an initial appearance before Federal Magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske at 10:15 a.m. on Friday.

Officials have said there so far is no indication that Reed was connected to the deadly blast.

[thackney]

There was an anhydrous ammonia tank that was on fire and spreading fuel.

It could still have been intentional but there was a large existing source of fuel for the large fire. The size of fire was not strange given the large spice of fuel near by.