Explosives near South Carolina military prison

Goose Creek South Carolina - Police Discover Explosives During Stop

Courtesy of Homeland Security NTARC News | August 4, 2007

Authorities closed a highway outside Charleston for more than five hours Saturday night after police found explosives in the trunk of a car, a newspaper reported, citing an FBI agent. The vehicle with Florida tags was driven by two men of Middle Eastern descent.

Julie Johnson, assistant special agent-in-charge for the FBI in Columbia, said there was “no immediate threat,” according to The (Charleston) Post and Courier.

Law enforcement officials closed the road about 7 p.m. after the traffic stop in Goose Creek, home to the Naval Weapons Station. The station houses the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where enemy combatants have been held.

Johnson said the FBI was still trying to determine whether a crime had been committed but that there was “no immediate threat” related to the traffic stop.

South Carolina law enforcement Chief Robert Stewart told The Associated Press that his officers were on the scene, but that the FBI was handling the case and he did not elaborate.

According to Lt. Vince Lombardo, deputies discovered the suspicious items in the trunk during a traffic stop. The two men inside the vehicle are detained at the scene. Lombardo also said information from an investigation in another jurisdiction raised the suspicions of the deputies.

Goose Creek, with a population of about 30,000, is located about 20 miles north of Charleston.

Channel 2 News Video