LONDON: Detectives in England have launched an urgent investigation after uncovering evidence of a terrifying black market in military explosives.

Inquiries have shown that a kilogramme of P4 plastic explosive - more than enough to destroy a small building or bring down an airliner - can be bought for as little as $75. Designed for military use, the material is odourless and almost impossible to detect. It is widely available. Earlier this year a Welsh businessman blew himself up with a few grams of P4 after bungling a revenge attack on a colleague, and the shoe bomber Richard Reid was also using P4.

The UK end of the trade emerged following the conviction of right-wing extremist David Tovey, who last week was found guilty of racially aggravated damage to property. Tovey had earlier admitted nine firearms and explosives offences after police uncovered an arsenal of weapons at his home in Carterton, Oxfordshire, 50 miles west of London. Among the weapons discovered were a quantity of P4, a pump-action shotgun normally used by Swat teams in the US, as well as several pipe bombs. Police believe Tovey was planning to launch a one-man race war.

Despite an intensive inquiry, police have been unable to pinpoint exactly where Tovey, who had no military background, acquired his devastating arsenal. Detective Superintendent Steve Morrison said the investigation was still continuing.

“We have made inquiries but so far have not found anything that would suggest how he got hold of that material, and that is very worrying. The P4 explosive is commonly found in Eastern Europe and it is not impossible to imagine it came from there. If someone is determined to get that material and determined to use it, they will find a way.” Independent defence analyst Paul Beaver told London-based The Observer newspaper that military-style plastic explosive is not only widely available but is also very cheap. “It doesn’t cost very much to manufacture, so it is incredibly cheap to buy. P4 costs as little as GBP50 ($75) per kilo which, for something that can cause such mayhem, is incredibly cheap. Even if people have to pay ten times as much, it is still well within the means of a large number of individuals.

Police found several books and videos in Tovey’s home that gave detailed instructions of how to convert deactivated weapons so they would become fully functional and how to manufacture home-made weapons.—Dawn/The Observer News Service.