Posted on 08/19/2003 6:53:17 AM PDT by cyncooper
Three types of explosive materials - including sticks of dynamite - were stolen from a University of Arizona mining laboratory near Sahuarita, officials said.
The explosives were discovered missing Thursday from the UA's San Xavier Mining Laboratory in the 6200 block of West Ocotillo Ranch Road, said Sigberto Celaya, resident agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They were stolen sometime between Aug. 7 and Aug. 14 from the lower level of the mine, he said. The explosives, normally used in mining, could be used to destroy a medium-size building, Celaya said.
One item stolen was a Procore Primer, an agent used to help explosives reach full detonation, he said. Thirty-four sticks of dynamite and 11 large tubes containing dynamite also were stolen, Celaya said. The tubes have metal clips on each end.
All three types of stolen explosives are clearly marked and labeled as dangerous.
The UA mining lab is about 23 miles south of Tucson and is used primarily as a teaching and research facility for students studying mining and geological engineering.
Anyone with information is asked to call the ATF at 670-4725 or the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 741-4672.
Could also be used for "fishing" and other things kind of like what someone did to Balance Rock west of Austin a few years ago. Balance Rock no longer balancing.
Reminds me of an episode of "Extreme Homes" I saw this last weekend on HGTV. Some guy in New Mexicso hired a firm to blast a hole in a mountain and he made an office out of it. When the office didn't work out because it was hard to access for clients, his son and daughter-in-law moved in it for a year. They furnished it quite nicely. Now it's a bed and breakfast.
Such stuff could be used (as was supposedly done by McVeigh) to initiate a large mass of less-sensitive, home-mixed explosive...
Not good news... :-(
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