Mark Twain National Forest (U.S. Forest Service)
A deer hunter’s explosive discovery in October didn’t receive a lot of attention at the time, but has since become one of several curious incidents to occur in Missouri. According to the St. James Leader Journal, the man was camping in an area of Mark Twain National Forest he frequently visited. But this time, Oct. 18, there was something different. The hunter — a combat engineer for the U.S. Army stationed at nearby Fort Leonard Wood — found a cache of explosives along a jeep trail and contacted 911.
An Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit came from the fort and destroyed the explosives on-site because they were too volatile to transport. A fire occurred from the blast but was quickly put out. The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, the EOD unit, the FBI, the ATF, and other agencies all examined the explosives and felt the situation was not related to terrorism.
The sheriff’s office followed up by asked the public for information, but the story quickly faded into the past — that is, until the recent terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Cali., put the nation on high alert and made the somewhat odd appear glaringly strange.
The story of the Mark Twain bombs reemerged this week as the FBI began investigating the purchase of 200 disposable cell phones from seven Missouri Walmarts. Several men (some stores reported two men, others as many as five) bought the items over the course of a few days, particularly the night of Dec. 4 and early morning of Dec. 5. Throw-away cell phones are often used to remotely trigger bombs, causing concerns over the purchased phones’ eventual usage.
The suspicious and seemingly related events occurred all across Missouri.
The purchases were spread out over several cities, but even then, dozens of phones bought at one time was seen as suspicious by employees. One of the men left a cell phone in the bathroom of a Walmart in Ava, prompting law enforcement to respond. While the officers were questioning the employees the man returned to get the phone and was also questioned, but was released because officers did not have a cause to detain him.
Calls made by law enforcement to the various Walmarts confirmed it was the same men making the different purchases.
Couple the cell phones with recent propane tank thefts and you have the potential for a deadly terrorist attack, or at least the fear of one. Authorities haven’t linked the break-ins at two CVS pharmacies and a BP gas station to the cell purchases, but one CVS was robbed of their propane tanks on Dec. 6 while the cell phones were being bought elsewhere. The other two stores’ tanks were stolen in late November.
The deer hunter’s discovery is being considered by many in Missouri and eleswhere as a possible link to the recent incidents. The story of the October events resurfaced on social media Monday as users pondered the potential connection between the occurences. Could a deer hunter’s seemingly isolated find be the tip of an iceberg, with more information remaining just below the surface and out of sight?