A piece of war memorabilia spurred an investigation at Montana State University today. Montana State University Police cordoned off a campus parking lot after a defused explosive was discovered in a student’s car.
“We had a student on campus who ordered a piece of military memorabilia, in this case, an inert landmine,” says MSU spokesman Michael Becker.
An inert Bulgarian landmine to be exact. An online vendor sells the mines with their explosives and primers removed. Becker says U.S. Postal authorities launched an investigation after one of the vendor’s packages was dropped in Minnesota and started vibrating.
Investigators then looked into where the company’s other orders shipped. That eventually led them to the Bozeman campus.
“But I will reiterate this is sold as a novelty item. There is no indication whatsoever this person had any wayward intentions,” Becker said.
The parking lot was closed "out of an abundance of caution" until early afternoon when a Helena-based explosive disposal unit retrieved the mine and confirmed it posed no danger.
Authorities planned to dispose of the device at Malmstrom Air Force Base. MSU says the student faces no disciplinary action or legal charges.
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