At least 180 detonators, 40 grenades and 10 blocks of 250 grams of plastic explosives were stolen from an army base in southern France, officials said Tuesday, reported The Associated Press.
Prosecutors said an "organized group" was likely responsible the crime, and would not rule out terrorists.
The theft is thought to have occurred overnight Sunday, with thieves cutting a wire fence surrounding the heavily guarded 200-acre army compound in Miramas, a source told AFP.
Miramas Mayor Frederic Vigouroux voiced concern about the incident and said as many as 260 detonators may be missing. Even though Vigouroux said he isn't sure exactly what was stolen at this point, "It wasn't cotton candy," he said, according to The Guardian. "Everything is inherently dangerous."
As many as 200 military and civilian personnel are stationed at the base.
"This is a site that is highly secure and well-guarded. All state services are on the tenterhooks," Vigouroux said, according to UPI. "There are dogs and everything else that is needed to keep this material safe. The thieves apparently gained entrance via a fence. The whole town has been listening to the news on the radio or reading newspapers."
The country's Defence Ministry asked all military sites storing ammunition to compile internal security assessments "within two weeks," reports AFP.
The theft comes as France is still under heightened security levels. On June 26, an alleged Islamist extremist beheaded his boss and attempted to blow up an industrial gas plant near Lyon, six months after gunmen killed 17 people at offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish grocery store in Paris.
