CIA officials borrowed a school bus for training exercises last week and left a little something special behind. “Explosive training material” was found under the hood of a bus that ferried elementary and high school students to and from different school locations in Loudoun County, Virginia, on March 28 and 29. The bus made eight trips over the two days and carried 26 students.
In a Thursday statement, CIA officials said the explosives “did not pose a danger to passengers on the bus,” and were used for K-9 training exercises during spring break a week prior. Other material was also used throughout the school.
A Loudoun County school spokesman said the dogs were able to sniff out and find most of the material under the hood, but some fell deeper within the compartment and was unable to be immediately detected. The remaining explosives were found during routine bus maintenance on Wednesday and removed by the county sheriff’s office, the fire marshal and the CIA.
The CIA asked school officials not to disclose the nature of the “putty-type” material, but officials say it is designed for use on the battlefield and contains C-4.
All law enforcement training exercises at schools within the county have been suspended until further notice.
(Via The Washington Post)