Explosives stolen from army base in southern France

  10 July 2015    Read: 1581
Explosives stolen from army base in southern France
Around 200 detonators and explosives have been stolen from a military site in southern France, sparking fears that the ammunition could be used for possible terror attacks.
According to an AFP report, 180 detonators and 40 grenades were snatched from the military logistics base in Miramas, which is located around 60 kilometers northeast of the city of Marseille in southern France.

The theft at the 200-acre base, used as a logistics center for France’s foreign operations, appeared to have taken place overnight from Sunday to Monday.

A source close to the investigation has confirmed that thieves cut through a fence to enter the high-security site.

Media reports indicate that the sprawling military base was surrounded by two rows of wire fencing, but had no security cameras.

Meanwhile, Frederic Vigouroux, the mayor of Miramas, voiced concerns about the theft at the well-guarded base, which hosts hundreds of civilian and military personnel.

"This is a site that is highly secure and well-guarded. All state services are on tenterhooks," Vigouroux said, adding, “There are dogs and everything else that is needed to keep this material safe. The thieves apparently gained entry via a fence. The whole town has been listening to the news on the radio or reading newspapers. ”

The investigators initially suspected that those involved in organized crime were behind the theft. However, they have not ruled out the possibility of terrorism.

The developments come as France has been put on its highest level of alert for terrorism following deadly attacks in January and June.

In the most recent attack in France, a 35-year-old man identified as Yassin Salhi beheaded his boss and tried to blow up an industrial gas plant near Lyon on June 26.

The incident came nearly six months after the attacks in and around Paris that killed 17 people in January, following a deadly shooting at the building of the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Pars.

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