Police search for origin of 7 tons of bullets from scrap warehouse owner
Suspect Tien confessed that someone sold him 7 tons of scrap 12.7mm and 14.5mm bullets.
On January 4, Bac Ninh Provincial Police said that suspect Nguyen Van Tien (54 years old, residing in Yen Phong district), the owner of the scrap warehouse that exploded in Bac Ninh, confessed to buying about 7 tons of old 12.7mm and 14.5mm bullets from a person working at an agency related to bomb disposal. The bullets were gathered by Mr. Tien in the garden in Quan Do village and at dawn on January 3, they "naturally exploded".
Yesterday, Mr. Tien was prosecuted by Bac Ninh Provincial Police for illegally storing and trading military weapons, according to Article 304 of the 2015 Penal Code. Mr. Tien's testimony is being verified.
Authorities said that an inspection of another warehouse owned by Mr. Tien in Quan Do village found many old warheads and electronic devices. The entire warehouse was sealed and the warheads were seized.
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Scene of the explosion. Photo: Giang Huy. |
A resident of Quan Do village who collects scrap metal said that recycling explosives is very profitable. “Every time I go collecting, I still buy warheads but sell them to Mr. Tien instead of recycling them myself because I am not good at dismantling them,” he said, adding that about 10 years ago, a person at Mr. Tien’s workshop died while sawing a bomb.
One of the people injured by the explosion, Dang Dinh Tien (32 years old) said that the scene of the explosion was the house where Nguyen Van Loi's family (29 years old) was living. However, this land belongs to Mr. Tien's family.
“I live next door but had no idea that the house contained so many warheads until it exploded,” said Mr. Tien, adding that over the past week,Every night, there was a popping sound "like firecrackers and a burning smell" coming from Mr. Loi's house.
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Dang Dinh Tien's injuries have not yet healed after the explosion on the morning of January 3. Photo: Pham Du. |
Currently, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh requested the Ministry of National Defense to preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province to verify the origin of explosive materials; strictly handle groups and individuals violating the management of weapons and explosive materials... The results will be reported to the Prime Minister before January 15.
Earlier, at 4:30 a.m. on January 3, after a deafening explosion, part of Quan Do village (Van Mon, Yen Phong, Bac Ninh) was leveled. The incident killed two people, injured seven people and collapsed seven houses. Hundreds of houses within a radius of 1.5 km were damaged.
