I find it highly suspicious that the article did not compare the transmitter to a brick of Velveeta.
That said, I found this to be one of those "I wonder if this is some sort of test run" kind of articles.
I'm with you. I find the "accidental" engagement of a device like this to be as likely as finding an activated marine EPIRB in the middle of a desert.
It could be that the location given in the article is itself a key to someone's plan, and the media have unwittingly announced either a "go" signal or a step in a more complicated scenario.