Authorities Found 17 Pounds of RDX, a Powerful Military Explosive. at Taj Hotel

[tekisui]

MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- More than a day after gunmen stormed ashore and attacked at least seven locations in Mumbai, killing 125 people, members of India's premier counterterrorist force early Friday were seeking to end standoffs at the two luxury hotels and Jewish center that were attacked late Wednesday.
Indian army commandos are shown on the rooftop of Nariman House in Mumbai on Friday.

Fighting broke out early Friday between government soldiers in a helicopter and gunmen holed up inside a Jewish center where two or three gunmen were believed to be remaining.

(snip)

Authorities found 8 kilograms (17 pounds) of RDX, one of the most powerful kinds of military explosives, at a restaurant near the Taj, indicating that the attackers may have been planning more violence.

more: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/27/india.attacks/index.html

[bemildred]

1. Well, you can't just go buy that at WalMart. nt

[FarCenter]

2. But RDX doesn't seem to be particularly rare

"Production of RDX peaked in the 1960s when it was ranked third in explosive production by volume in the United States. The average volume of RDX produced from 1969 to 1971 was 15 million pounds per month. However, production of RDX decreased to a yearly total of 16 million pounds for 1984."

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/explosives-nitramines.htm

[bemildred]

4. Yah, and it is true that the military commonly loses track of things.

Nukular weapons and, well, all sorts of stuff, trillions of dollars worth of it ...

[shadowknows69]

3. What military?

Aren't these things usually pretty identifiable?

[wtmusic]

5. That's what I was thinking

it may be a tremendous aid in IDing these murderers.