Devices - Radiation Detected N.M. Fairgrounds

November 18, 2006

If this is your first time visiting National Terror Alert you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. The National terror Alert feed features breaking news, alerts and bulletins on demand and it's free of charge..
You will only see this message on your first visit to the site. Thanks for visiting!

About 500 people were evacuated from the New Mexico State Fairgrounds Expo as a precaution Saturday evening after low levels of radiation were detected, police said.

A Geiger counter registered the presence of radiation after two objects were discovered at the 236-acre fairgrounds in the heart of Albuquerque, said Lt. Juan Martinez, a spokesman for New Mexico state police.

The objects, one appearing to be a pipe bomb and another that appeared to be a paint can, were found under a car parked near the fairground’s fine arts building, Martinez said. One object was marked “nuclear” and the other, “cobalt,” he said.

Police believe the radiation was coming from Cobalt 57, a material used in the medical and plumbing industries. Cobalt-57 is a radioactive poison used in biological research. A bomb squad unit and hazardous materials teams were searching the area for any additional devices.

Share and Enjoy: