200 pounds of explosives stolen
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 8:02 pm
Authorities investigating the theft of 200 pounds of high explosives from a police storage facility on the Peninsula asked for the public's help Wednesday and said they have not identified suspects or a motive in the case. Marti McKee, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, which is handling the investigation, said the agency is working with the FBI and local authorities to recover the missing material.
"In cases like this they are often broken by a tip from the public," she said. "The public can have a great impact on a case like this."
McKee said the explosives, which posed a significant danger, were stolen from a storage facility near the Crystal Springs Reservoir, west of Interstate 280, over the July 4th weekend. The thief or thieves broke into five locked steel containers and made off with the explosives, which belonged to the San Francisco Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department.
The theft was discovered Tuesday morning by a visiting agent from the FBI, which also uses the facility. McKee declined to release details about the theft or explain the security measures at the site. She noted that explosives caches are "generally stored in remote locations, but because of their remote location it's hard to keep an eye on them."
McKee said it was still too early to speculate as to who perpetrated the theft or why. "Right now we do not have a suspect, we do not have a motive," she said. "I would say we haven't ruled out any possibilities."
The high explosives that were stolen had either been confiscated by police or used during training drills, McKee said. High explosives differ from low explosives in that they require a detonator or blasting caps to ignite. Low explosives, like a pipe bomb, can explode with fire or a hard blow. McKee said the explosives could cause significant damage. "It's dangerous and dangerous in the wrong hands," she said. Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact their local police department or call the ATF tip line at (888) 283-8477.
Source
"In cases like this they are often broken by a tip from the public," she said. "The public can have a great impact on a case like this."
McKee said the explosives, which posed a significant danger, were stolen from a storage facility near the Crystal Springs Reservoir, west of Interstate 280, over the July 4th weekend. The thief or thieves broke into five locked steel containers and made off with the explosives, which belonged to the San Francisco Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department.
The theft was discovered Tuesday morning by a visiting agent from the FBI, which also uses the facility. McKee declined to release details about the theft or explain the security measures at the site. She noted that explosives caches are "generally stored in remote locations, but because of their remote location it's hard to keep an eye on them."
McKee said it was still too early to speculate as to who perpetrated the theft or why. "Right now we do not have a suspect, we do not have a motive," she said. "I would say we haven't ruled out any possibilities."
The high explosives that were stolen had either been confiscated by police or used during training drills, McKee said. High explosives differ from low explosives in that they require a detonator or blasting caps to ignite. Low explosives, like a pipe bomb, can explode with fire or a hard blow. McKee said the explosives could cause significant damage. "It's dangerous and dangerous in the wrong hands," she said. Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact their local police department or call the ATF tip line at (888) 283-8477.
Source
