Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 5, 1991 TAG: 9102050214
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium
The bombs were discovered 5 miles from the world's biggest naval base, Norfolk Naval Base, and within miles of Hampton Roads' eight other military installations, which together have sent about 40,000 service men and women to Operation Desert Storm.
Authorities said no group had taken responsibility for planting the bombs. Bill Baker, assistant FBI director for criminal investigations, said it was too early to tell whether the incident might have been related to the Persian Gulf war, but he added that "we have to keep that door open." There have been no confirmed reports of attempted terrorism in the United States since the war began last month.
Norfolk Mayor Joseph A. Leafe said authorities have no suspects or motives. "We have no indication this is in any way related to what's going on in the Persian Gulf, nor any evidence it is not," he said. Officials noted that there were other possible explanations, such as a vendetta against the tanks' owner.
Workers at nearby businesses and residents of the blue-collar Berkley neighborhood within a half-mile of the tanks were evacuated. Later, the evacuation area was extended to one mile. Police cruisers drove through the streets issuing warnings over loudspeakers, and public buses were used to collect those who needed rides. Residents were allowed to return home around 4:30 p.m.
"I was a little frightened," said Mary Freeman, who has lived in her home about a mile from the scene for 39 years. "If they had a war, I thought they were going to fight it in the air or the ocean, but I didn't know they would strike the neighborhoods where we're living."
Cpl. Bob Haynes, a Norfolk police spokesman, would not describe the type of explosive contained in the pipes, nor would he speculate on why the timers were not ticking. But he said the bombs appeared to be made by someone familiar with explosives.
"You can pretty well determine that this was not an amateur that put these devices together," he said. "Were they supposed to go off or not go off? Were they supposed to go off hours down the road? That's what they're trying to determine."
The tanks where the bombs were planted do not serve the military. Except possibly for the nearby Colonna Shipyard, which is privately owned, authorities said there is no strategic military facility close enough to have suffered damage if the bombs had exploded. River and air traffic in the area was restricted most of the day.
The first bomb was made up of a pair of 2-foot-long pipe bombs linked by a detonator-timer. Technicians carried the bomb a short distance away. Using a small controlled explosive, they blew off the caps at both ends of the pipes to relieve any internal pressure, effectively disarming the bomb.
The second bomb, made up of four similar pipe bombs with a single timer that also was not operating, was taken to a cemetery, buried under earth with bulldozers and detonated about nine hours after the incident began.
by CNB