HOUSTON, United States (AFP) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation rejected claims purportedly from two Islamic extremist groups of responsibility for an oil refinery explosion in Texas that left 15 people dead.
The claims emerged in e-mails the day after the blast rocked the third-biggest petrochemical complex in the United States, run by British multinational BP at Texas City south of here.
"We've found no evidence to support criminal or terrorist activity," Al Tribble, spokesman for the FBI (news - web sites) office in Houston, told AFP.
The e-mails were apparently from "two specific Islamic groups", Tribble said. But he said he did not know the names of the groups.
BP said the cause of the blast was still being investigated, but has ruled out terrorism.
It said the explosion occurred when a unit of the refinery that adds octane to gasoline (petrol) was being brought back online after being shut down for routine maintenance.
A year ago the FBI warned Texas oil refineries of a potential terrorism threat in the wake of deadly train blasts in Madrid, which came two-and-a-half years after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Five days later a series of explosions hit the BP plant at Texas City, but they were traced to a furnace fire.
Those blasts created public doubts over safety at the 71-year-old refinery complex which Wednesday's events only served to fuel.
But BP's chief executive John Browne insisted there was nothing to fear after flying in to Texas City to personally oversee operations and to convey his condolences to relatives.
The discovery of the body of a missing worker took the number of dead to 15, with more than 100 others injured, Browne said.
Addressing a hastily convened press conference, he assured employees "that the full resources of BP will be made available to help the bereaved, the injured and all others affected by the explosion and the fire".
Browne said the company's internal investigation would leave "no stone unturned".
"There is no limit to the amount of activity that we've undertaken in Texas City to make it a very safe plant. It is a very safe plant. However, we don't understand at the moment what happened here," he said.
An investigative team from the US government's Chemical Safety Board was already on site to try to find the cause of the explosion.
"The plant continues to operate normally ... aside of a couple of the 30-something units we have here," BP spokesman Bill Stephens told reporters outside the 1,200-acre (486-hectare) facility.
The refinery is the biggest of five plants run by BP across the United States and the country's third-biggest overall, pumping out vast quantities of gasoline daily.
The main oil contract traded in New York, light sweet crude for delivery in May, finished 1.03 dollars higher at 54.84 dollars with brokers fretting over the blast's impact on gasoline supplies heading into the US summer.
"It's probably washed away any dreams of gas prices going lower any time soon," Alaron Trading broker Phil Flynn said.
"It reminds us how tight refinery capacities are and how vulnerable we are to disruptions."
Firefighters at the coastal site on the Gulf of Mexico battled for two hours to bring the blaze under control, after the explosion sent a plume of thick black smoke thousands of feet (metres) into the air.
It was the worst industrial accident in Texas City since April 1947, when two ships loaded with ammonium nitrate exploded at the port killing an estimated 600 people.
Browne said that company staff and local rescue workers responded "courageously and effectively" to the emergency.
"Under the most difficult circumstances, they kept the rest of the refinery safe," he said.
__________________
You're only one post away from a federal watch list.
I think they would. But you know how secretive any military or federal law enforcement branch can be regarding terrorism. On the other hand, Homeland Security seems to jump at the slightest hint of a threat. Remember when they closed down part of DC after receiving some information about possible al Qaeda members scouting for an attack? Nothing every came of it, and the roadblocks have been removed.
I'm still not ready to discount the possibility of terrorism, but it's also important to note the hazards faced at an oil refinery. I heard that the plant was in a particularly dangerous situation whenever a system is being restarted after maintenance. I'm no petroleum engineer, but I imagine a lot of things could go wrong if you didn't put everything back together properly before hitting the 'Start' button.
If you think about it, BP would rather have it be terrorist to where they can say "See we told you our plant was safe! It was those terrorist that caused the explosion."
__________________
The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog
Working in the oil and chemical refining business, I know that it is very hazardous. I agree that BP would have liked to blame it on terrorism. I think that in these times we live in, we would be told if it were terrorism!
Again, oil and chemical refining is dangerous, even in newer plants! Most of America's refineries are 50-100 years old. Granted that is the age of the plant sites themselves, most of these units have been replaced over the years, so they are not that old, but many units are at least 30-40 years old. There have not been any new refineries built in America in the last 30 years!
As for the terrorist claims, you can look for these crazies to try to take credit for any accident that happens!
__________________
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty or Safety!
Ben Franklin
I LOVE my country, I FEAR my government!
If your mother was an abortion proponent, would you be reading this right now?
If you think about it, BP would rather have it be terrorist to where they can say "See we told you our plant was safe! It was those terrorist that caused the explosion."
I'll bet their insurer is so nervous you couldn't drive a shingle nail up their a$$ with a sledge hammer.
__________________
You may beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride!
So would the FBI tell us if it was true?
