CIA left explosive material on school bus


The CIA announced on Thursday it left behind "explosive training material" on a Virginia school bus it used for a training exercise last week, but it "did not pose a danger to the passengers on the bus."
Last week, while Loudoun County students were on spring break, CIA trainers placed the explosive material in the engine compartment of the bus and around an area high school to test a dog's ability to find it, The Washington Post reports. The dog was able to find the material under the hood, the CIA said, but some of it fell down and became wedged under hoses. Because it was the same color as the hoses, the bus driver did not see the material during the daily inspection, and it wasn't found until routine maintenance on Wednesday.
While the bus did take students to and from school on Monday and Tuesday, the material was "incredibly stable" and passengers were never in danger, the county sheriff's office said. Wayde Byard, a spokesman for the county schools, said the "putty-type" material is designed for use on the battlefield and requires a special detonator. "We're all very upset by what happened, but we're going to review everything that did happen," he said. "Obviously, we're concerned. The CIA really expressed its deep concern and regret today, and it was sincere."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
July 12 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include generational ennui, tariffs on Canada, and a conspiracy rabbit hole
-
5 unusually elusive cartoons about the Epstein files
Cartoons Artists take on Pam Bondi's vanishing desk, the Mar-a-Lago bathrooms, and more
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bail
Speed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrial
Speed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside home
speed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confession
speed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulder
speed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack