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| Intruders attack Russian TNT plant, shoot three guards | Intruders attack Russian TNT plant, shoot three guards |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A group of unidentified men attempted to gain access to a disused explosives plant in the Urals, where hundreds of tons of chemicals are stored, sparking a shootout with security personnel. Two guards remain hospitalized in serious condition. | A group of unidentified men attempted to gain access to a disused explosives plant in the Urals, where hundreds of tons of chemicals are stored, sparking a shootout with security personnel. Two guards remain hospitalized in serious condition. |
| The attack on the Krasnouralsk Chemical Plant happened early on Friday morning, but was not reported in the local media until Saturday. | The attack on the Krasnouralsk Chemical Plant happened early on Friday morning, but was not reported in the local media until Saturday. |
| “The factory has not been operational for a long time. It has no heat or electricity, and there isn’t even a perimeter fence,” the Sverdlovsk regional police department, which has taken over from local investigators, said in a statement. “The most likely suspects behind the attacks are scavengers looking for non-ferrous metals, or locals settling a dispute. We are also examining other scenarios, but can rule out a terrorist attack.” | “The factory has not been operational for a long time. It has no heat or electricity, and there isn’t even a perimeter fence,” the Sverdlovsk regional police department, which has taken over from local investigators, said in a statement. “The most likely suspects behind the attacks are scavengers looking for non-ferrous metals, or locals settling a dispute. We are also examining other scenarios, but can rule out a terrorist attack.” |
| According to the security officers, who had been hired by the local authorities to guard the plant last year, they found the group of intruders on the factory grounds and attempted to detain them. A fight broke out, which ended when one of the raiders shot the guards, from what police say was likely a hunting firearm, before fleeing. | |
| Three men were taken to the hospital. One was discharged after being treated for head injuries, and two more remain in “serious condition” after surgeries to treat them for their wounds. | Three men were taken to the hospital. One was discharged after being treated for head injuries, and two more remain in “serious condition” after surgeries to treat them for their wounds. |
| “The doctors are doing everything to restore them to health,” the head of the regional police department, Valeriy Gorelykh, told TASS. | “The doctors are doing everything to restore them to health,” the head of the regional police department, Valeriy Gorelykh, told TASS. |
| Gorelykh said that the guard who sustained the lightest injuries was shown a series of photographs in which he recognized one of the attackers, but when the suspects were hauled in for an identity parade, he failed to point out the raider. | Gorelykh said that the guard who sustained the lightest injuries was shown a series of photographs in which he recognized one of the attackers, but when the suspects were hauled in for an identity parade, he failed to point out the raider. |
| Local media immediately reported that tons of TNT were stored in unlocked spaces at the lightly-guarded and crumbling plant, while photos purportedly showing explosive chemicals casually strewn around the plant’s grounds in giant piles have been circulated on social media. | Local media immediately reported that tons of TNT were stored in unlocked spaces at the lightly-guarded and crumbling plant, while photos purportedly showing explosive chemicals casually strewn around the plant’s grounds in giant piles have been circulated on social media. |
| Gorelykh denied that there was any TNT at the plant at the time of the attack. | Gorelykh denied that there was any TNT at the plant at the time of the attack. |
| The fate of the Krasnouralsk Chemical Plant has been a headache for the local authorities for decades. | The fate of the Krasnouralsk Chemical Plant has been a headache for the local authorities for decades. |
| Built in 1943, it suffered from a collapse of orders after the fall of the Soviet Union, but remained a lifeline for a town of 25,000 people, meaning it had to be subsidized from the public budget. | Built in 1943, it suffered from a collapse of orders after the fall of the Soviet Union, but remained a lifeline for a town of 25,000 people, meaning it had to be subsidized from the public budget. |
| In 2011 the near-bankrupt factory was privatized, and three years later chemicals were brought in for a large new order. However, the contract was never fulfilled. As the plant was shut down, local media outlets reported that 1000 tons of utilized hydrochloric acid, 500 tons of oleum, and 400 tons of mélange – all highly corrosive materials – were simply left behind. Presumably the photos posted on social networks date from this period, as looters and curious locals explored the dilapidated brick buildings. | |
| Following a series of crimes and calamities, including one in which Krasnouralsk was covered in a cloud of acrid, yellow smoke, residents staged a public protest, prompting the local authorities to post guards at the plant. But the latest incident suggests that a more permanent sealing off and decontamination may be necessary. |