This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/07/explosives-stolen-from-french-army-base

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Explosives stolen from French army base Explosives stolen from French army base
(about 2 hours later)
A pile of explosives, 180 detonators and about 40 grenades have been stolen from an army base in the southern French town of Miramas. French authorities are investigating the theft of roughly 200 detonators plus grenades and plastic explosives from a military site in southern France.
The theft came despite increased security in France after a man beheaded his boss and tried to blow up a chemical plant near Lyon on 26 June. The thefts at the Miramas site, which is operated by a combination of military services west of Marseille, appeared to have taken place overnight from Sunday to Monday. The break-in came with France on its highest level of alert for terrorism following deadly attacks in January and June.
The explosives theft was first spotted on Monday at the Miramas site, which serves as a logistical platform for the French army’s external operations, a source told Reuters. Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said an investigation had begun into charges of “theft with break-in carried out by a criminal group” and “fraudulent entry into a military compound”.
A spokesman for the French army could not immediately be reached for comment. An official with the gendarmerie police force, which generally runs law enforcement in more rural areas of France, said the thief or thieves appeared to have cut through a fence to enter the high-security site.
In January gunmen killed 17 people at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish grocery store. The defence ministry and a spokesman for the French military did not immediately respond to calls and text messages from the Associated Press seeking details.
The mayor of Miramas, Frederic Vigouroux, said he did not know precisely what was stolen, but said it was the first theft at the site. He said the outer fences were broken into, and that nine storehouses were affected.
“It wasn’t cotton candy that was stolen,” he said. “These are dangerous munitions. Everything is inherently dangerous.”
The 200-hectare (500-acre) base sits on the outskirts of the town of 30,000 and stocks munitions of the type used in French military operations in Mali and Afghanistan.