First responder to U.S. fertilizer plant blast arrested for possessing pipe bomb

HOUSTON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A volunteer paramedic who was among the first responders to a deadly fire and explosion last month at a Texas fertilizer plant was arrested Friday and charged with possessing materials for a pipe bomb, U.S. media reported.

Meanwhile, U.S. authorities said Friday they are launching a criminal investigation into the April 17 explosion in the Texas town of West, but have not said if the arrest of Bryce Reed is connected to the blast that killed 14 people, injured around 200 and destroyed hundreds of homes in the vicinity, according to CNN.

Local sheriff's deputies were called on Tuesday to a residence where they found components for a pipe bomb. Reed, 31, told authorities the materials for explosive devices were his, according to reports.

Reed made an initial appearance in federal court Friday, but did not enter a plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Frazier said he would not release further details until court documents were unsealed sometime later in the day, according to reports.

"At this time authorities will not speculate whether the possession of the unregistered destructive device has any connection to the West fertilizer plant explosion," the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of Texas said in a news release.

If convicted, Reed could face up to 10 years in prison and a 250,000-dollar fine, according to CNN.

Authorities said earlier this month that investigators have determined that a stockpile of ammonium nitrate at a fertilizer plant in the U.S. town of West was the source of the deadly that virtually leveled the town.

However, the ignition source for the ammonium nitrate, an explosive chemical, remained undetermined.

Fire alone cannot cause ammonium nitrate, a chemical usually used to make fertilizer, to explode. The investigation continues into other factors, such as intense pressure or extreme heat, that may have ignited the explosion, according to media reports.

The Texas fire marshal's office has been leading the investigation of the blast, along with the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency (ATF).

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