By Hamil R. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 5, 2008

Prince George's County police found explosive material in a deserted car near Andrews Air Force Base yesterday morning and are working with federal investigators to determine its source, authorities said.

Shortly after 6 a.m., police were alerted to a black Nissan Altima with no license plates parked on Dower House Road, Cpl. Diane Richardson said. Police determined that the car had been stolen and called on federal law enforcement officials, including military investigators, to examine explosive material that was packaged in two units, each small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, Richardson said.

Technicians with the county bomb squad determined that one of the units was a commercial grade explosive of the type used in demolition and that the other was a military grade explosive, said Mark Brady, a county fire department spokesman. Police found no detonation devices, authorities said.

"According to the bomb squad, there was enough explosive materials that if placed in the wrong hands could cause significant damage," Brady said.

Federal and county officials declined to say whether the possibility of a terrorist connection is being investigated.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Air Force and technicians with the county bomb squad spent the day trying to determine the make and origin of the explosive materials.

Police were called to a lot in the 6200 block of Dower House Road about 6:30 a.m. by the property owner, who spotted the material inside the car. The lot is littered with debris, including abandoned vehicles and discarded building materials.

Dower House Road was closed for most of the morning, requiring drivers to find an alternative to the rural industrial route that hugs part of the eastern fence of Andrews Air Force Base.

Officials from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations confiscated the military grade materials. Jeramis McFadden, an investigator with the office, said his office was called to examine the site. "We're just here to take some pictures," he said.