Explosive Material Missing in Logan Training Mishap

In a routine training exercise, State Police hid 8 ounces of plastic explosive on the rear bumper of a Massport pickup to test bomb-sniffing dogs and handlers at Logan International Airport.

But the antiterrorism drill went awry Wednesday night when a Massport employee who wasn't part of the exercise moved the truck and the Semtex explosive either fell off or was stolen somewhere near Harborside Drive on Massachusetts Port Authority property.

Yesterday, State Police launched an internal investigation, continued searching for the plastic explosive in a nonresidential area, and tried to reassure the public that the material poses no danger without a detonator.

"It needs an ignition device," said State Police Lieutenant Sharon Costine. "If you dropped it, it wouldn't explode."

If it did explode, it could cause significant damage, she said, declining to be more specific.

The explosive had not been found by last night, and police were concentrating on a Massport street sweeper that swept the pickup's route shortly after the explosive was discovered missing. The Embassy Suites Hotel Boston and Massport headquarters are located nearby along Harborside Drive.

The incident occurred around 8 p.m. Wednesday when State Police assigned to Massport's Troop F were conducting the K-9 training exercise required by the federal Transportation Security Administration. The drill was held in a secure parking area near the airport and Massport headquarters.

The white pickup was driven out of the secure area by a Massport employee unaware it was being used in the exercise, Costine said. By the time the truck was found -- eight minutes later and about 1 1/2 miles away in another area of the airport -- the explosive was gone. Costine declined to specify where the exercise was held or where the vehicle was found.

The driver of the pickup was interviewed by police but was not charged, though the investigation was continuing, Costine said.

"He was unaware of it and came in the middle of it, and there was a miscommunication," she said. "There doesn't appear to be any wrongdoing on his part."

The explosive has a State Police label and a "Do Not Touch" warning. It is reddish-orange, about the dimension of two chocolate bars, and wrapped in plastic, Costine said.

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