WINTERSBERG, Ariz. -- A contract worker claims he was unaware that a pipe bomb was in the bed of his pickup truck at the nation's largest nuclear power plant.
IMAGES: Pipe Bomb IncidentGuards stopped Roger Hurd at the entrance to the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix on Friday morning when they spotted the bomb.
Hurd, 61, a procurement engineer, was detained right there, about a half mile from the containment domes where the nuclear material is stored.
Officials pulled his security clearances and placed the facility on lockdown for seven hours.
"The guards were attentive and alert and took the appropriate action when they identified something suspicious," said Victor Dricks, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which will review the incident.
The Department of Homeland Security said there was no known terrorism link to the incident at Palo Verde.
Hurd, of Goodyear, Ariz., told investigators he didn't know how the bomb got in his truck and was released Friday afternoon.
Authorities searched the man's apartment with his consent and found nothing of interest, according to Capt. Paul Chagolla of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
"There's no information to indicate that there's domestic terrorism at hand," Chagolla said.
Authorities described the device as a six-inch capped explosive made of galvanized pipe that contained suspicious residue. Tom Mangan, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said it was likely homemade.
"If this thing went off in the bed of the truck, it certainly would put a hole in it," Mangan said. "It was rather crude in construction, but it could certainly injure somebody."
It was in plain view with no effort to conceal it, Chagolla said. He said Hurd normally drove a motorcycle to work but was in a truck Friday because of the cool weather.
Investigators Probe Motive Chagolla said the bomb squad rendered the device safe.
Hurd later told investigators the bomb wasn't his, and he had no idea where it came from, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.
"So, the mystery is how did that pipebomb get into his truck?" Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said. "What's the motive to someone to put this in his truck? I don't know. Was it a disgruntled employee? I don't know. Were they trying to target him?"
In Washington, the Department of Homeland Security also said there was no known terrorism link to the incident.
NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said Hurd was stopped and detained at the entrance of the plant Friday morning.
Security officials immediately launched an investigation and put the nuclear station on lockdown, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving the facility.
When the residue couldn't be identified immediately, plant operators notified the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Jim Melfi, an inspector with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said an "unusual event" has been declared at the facility. This is the lowest of four emergency categories that the plant can declare.
'No Danger To Public,' Plant Official SaysPlant officials stressed there was no danger to the public.
The 4,050-acre site was operating normally, officials said.
"Our security personnel acted cautiously and appropriately, demonstrating that our security process and procedures work as designed," said Randy Edington, the chief APS nuclear officer.
"These actions are clearly in line with our goal of ensuring the health and safety of the public and our employees," he said in a statement.
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station is the largest nuclear electric generating site in the U.S.
Workers have been in the process of replacing enormous components, like the plant's steam generators.
Each steam generator is 75-feet long and weighs about 800 tons.
By replacing the parts, the power plant will be good to go for at least another 20 years, plant officials said.
Palo Verde meets the energy needs of about four-million homes in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California.
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11/2/07 - Worker Unaware Of Pipe Bomb In His Truck
