Explosives stolen from US defence facilities

Things have a habit of going missing from US defence labs.

In a 2005 audit, hundreds of conventional explosives at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, could not be accounted for, says a report released last week by the US Department of Energy's Inspector General.

Plastic and powdered explosives, detonators and rocket motors were all missing. "Extremely dangerous and potentially destructive materials may be subject to theft or diversion," says the report, claiming that neither Sandia nor Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico has adequate controls or regularly tests the stability and safety of ageing explosives.

They are particularly worried about explosives stored at poorly guarded, off-site facilities. In past years, computer hard drives, including one containing nuclear secrets, have gone missing from US defence labs.