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May 10th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
Court documents released today said that Bryce Reed, 31, had been arrested on
suspicion of possessing “an unregistered destructive device” – specifically
the components for a pipe bomb which were found at a house in Abbott, Texas
last Tuesday.
Mr Reed, who remained in federal custody and is scheduled to appear in court
again next week, is accused of giving the bomb parts to the owner of the
house on April 26, some 9 days after the fertiliser plant blast.
If convicted, Mr Reed faces up to 10 years in jail and a fine maximum charge
of up to $250,000.
“At this time authorities will not speculate whether the possession of the
unregistered destructive device has any connection to the West fertilizer
plant explosion,” added a statement by the US Attorney’s office for the
Western District of Texas.
Mr Reed appeared frequently in the media in recent weeks to pay tribute to his
friend Cyrus Reed, no relation, who died in the blast.
“He was my best friend. He got me help through the crisis in my life,
he’s my brother,” Mr Reed said of his friend, who was a volunteer
firefighter.
Mr Reed told his friend’s parents of their son’s death. A photograph shows him
weeping at a memorial service last month.
He told the Dallas Morning News of his anguish after the blast, which levelled
many of his friends’ homes, saying he felt like he was “screaming
underwater”.
“Who I was before April 17 has died,” he said. “I have to
figure out who I am again.”
Amanda Atkins, a student who took emergency response class run by Mr Reed,
described him as a “great guy”, adding: “I don’t see him
being that type of person at all. He is the most caring, giving guy. I mean,
wow. He’s totally not that type of person.”
The storage of the potentially dangerous chemicals at the West fertiliser
factory has raised questions about the effectiveness of regulatory oversight
of chemical plants in the US.
Local reports said that documents showed that the ammonium nitrate had been
registered with local authorities, but not reported to the Department of
Homeland Security, as required by federal regulations. It is unclear whether
the local fire department was aware of the potential dangers at the site.
Investigators confirmed last week that the explosion on April 17 was caused by
the ammonium nitrate, but had not determined what started the fire that
triggered the blast.
The massive explosion left a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep and
destroyed more than 50 nearby houses. The Insurance Council of Texas
estimates insured losses could reach $100 million (£58m).
Rachel Moreno, a spokeswoman for the Texas fire marshal’s office, confirmed
that ammonium nitrate was stored in bins at the blast point, in a building
that also included an office. “We know (the fire) started in that
building,” Ms Moreno added, “but not in the bin.”
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