Forgetting your coffee on the roof of your car won't seem not so bad after you read about the CIA's recent oopsie. The Washington Post is reporting that the Central Intelligence Agency accidentally left explosive training materials under the hood of a school bus that went on to shuttle real students to and from school for two days before the materials were discovered.
Whoops!
![]()
The CIA was borrowing the Loudoun County school bus as a part of a training exercise to test a dog's ability to sniff out explosives. Loudoun schools spokesman Wayde Byard said that the dog was able to sniff out the explosives, but that some had fallen deeper down into the engine compartment, and were overlooked after the training was complete. In the two days where the explosives went undetected, the school bus transported twenty-six students to and from Rock Ridge High School, Buffalo Trail Elementary School and Pinebrook Elementary School, making eight trips total and traveling around 145 miles. The explosive material was discovered by a technician who was doing routine maintenance on the bus.
Byard would not disclose exactly what type of material was found in the bus, but described it as a "putty-like material designed for use on the battlefield". Yes, you read that correctly. A battlefield.
According to statement put out by the CIA following the incident, the explosives—despite being, well, explosives—didn't pose any threat to passengers.
On Wednesday, March 30, CIA was notified that the explosive training material was found when the bus was undergoing routine maintenance. CIA coordinated closely with local authorities and recovered the training material. According to Loudoun County officials, the bus transported students on March 28 and 29. CIA and Loudoun County explosives experts have confirmed that the training material did not pose a danger to passengers on the bus.
The CIA (aka, the people who are supposed to make you feel really safe) also said they have "taken immediate steps to strengthen inventory and control procedures in its K-9 program." Thankfully, no one was hurt. Well, no one's been hurt yet. Who knows what those angry PTA parents are capable of?
![]()
