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| Las Vegas shooting: Key bomb ingredient found in Stephen Paddock's car | Las Vegas shooting: Key bomb ingredient found in Stephen Paddock's car |
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| Officials have found ammonium nitrate, a high-nitrogen fertiliser often used in homemade bombs, in the car of the Las Vegas mass shooter. | Officials have found ammonium nitrate, a high-nitrogen fertiliser often used in homemade bombs, in the car of the Las Vegas mass shooter. |
| Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters the chemical compound was found in Stephen Paddock's car after he opened fire on concert-goers in Las Vegas, killing at keast 59 and injuring more than 500. | |
| Officers found more than 16 guns in Paddock's hotel room, Mr Lombardo said. Authorities also found 18 guns, a stash of a commercially available explosive called tannerite, and "several thousand rounds of ammunition" at the gunman's home in Mesquite, Nevada. | |
| Investigators have yet to determine a motive in the shooting. | |
| Ammonium nitrate is harmless on its own, and stable to store. But when combined with other chemicals, in recipes easily accessible on the internet, it can be made into a highly effective bomb. The attackers in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings that killed almost 200 people used an ammonium-nitrate-powered bomb. | |
| Tannerite is the brand name of an explosive often used as a rifle target. The substance, composed of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminium, produces a large bang and puff of smoke when struck by a bullet. It can also produce a damaging explosion, such as that achieved in a 2016 New York City subway bombing. | |
| ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, but authorities say they have found no connections to any international terrorist organisations. Police are hoping to speak with one woman, described as a 'companion' of Mr Paddock, when she returns to the country, Mr Lombardo said. | |
| Two gun shops where Paddock purchased his weapons have said he purchased them legally, and passed all required background checks. Paddock had no prior criminal history, according to police. | |
| The divorced accountant checked into a large suite in the Madalay Bay Resort and Casino on 28 September, authorities said. Hotel personnel entered the room several times during his stay and saw nothing suspicious, according to Mr Lombard. | |
| More follows... | More follows... |