Posted on 05/16/2002 5:42:32 PM PDT by Dallas
MEXICO CITY --
Mexican police found a stolen truck on Thursday that had been carrying 10 tons of sodium cyanide, but most of the deadly chemicals were missing.
Authorities cordoned off the area around where the truck was discovered, abandoned along a highway in Zacatlan, about 120 miles northwest of Mexico City in central Puebla state.
Only about half a ton of the cyanide, contained in barrels, was still inside the truck and investigators were searching for the remainder, police said.
One barrel had been opened, sparking concerns of a health hazard. But officials found no evidence of contamination, said Frederico Perez, director of police in neighboring Hidalgo state.
No one has been arrested in connection with the truck robbery, which took place last Friday. Police were seeking information about three armed men who authorities believe stole the vehicle based on witness accounts, Perez said.
Sodium cyanide is used in gold and silver mining. If inhaled or ingested, it attacks the nervous system and can cause a person to suffocate within minutes.
Perez said it was extremely unlikely the chemical was stolen for a terrorist attack.
"The possibility of terrorism is minimal," he said. "Knowing how these robberies work, it's likely that the robbers didn't even know what was inside. They also probably wouldn't know how to use those chemicals."
Truck robberies are common in Mexico, particularly in the region just north of the capital, Mexico City.
The truck had left from Queretaro, a colonial city 115 miles north of Mexico City, and was headed to Pachuca, capital of Hidalgo state, about 30 miles northeast of the capital.
Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press
these are not the droids you are looking for. move along.
I guess he doesn't think they read the al-Queada training manual.
We don't know what or who or why...but we do know it was NOT for terror. </ sarcasm>
okay...ntshma
He sure appears confident.
I spent a lot of time in Queretaro. There are a lot of US manufacturing firms in and around Queretaro. Also, that region is considered one of the best farming area in Mexico.
Ninety-nine percent of the trucks crossing the border with Mexico are not inspected. A similar amount of the cargo containers coming in at our nation's docks are not inspected.
This nation is a prime target for terrorism. Evidently that hasn't sunk in yet. Until a major attack involving thousands or tens of thousands of deaths occurs from across the Mexican border, our leaders can pleade plausible deniability. Welcome to that scenario.
This could get ugly...
Is there anything in the story that justifies such an alarmist scenario, DoughtyOne?
From other sites, it doesn't appear that NaCN is too bad, but you wouldn't want to put it in your salt shaker. The oral dose that will kill 50% of rats is 6.4 mg per Kg of body weight.
For better effect, combine with an acid to get HCN, which is a poisonous gas. The gas was produced by Zyklon B.
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