Broadcaster Press 05 December 18, 2012 www.broadcasteronline.com ? BOMB From Page 2 either subsequent pick-up or shipment back to his home address in North Caldwell, as he would not be returning to the university. Upon discovery of various unidentifiable chemicals in Gallo’s room at Coyote Village by a resident assistant, law enforcement was alerted, and various incendiary mixtures and materials, including improvised thermite and red iron oxide, were recovered. Campus police and the Vermillion Police Department, along with authorities from Sioux Falls, quickly appeared at the scene last January. A “bomb squad” vehicle was parked outside Coyote Village during the search of the room, and about 20 students were evacuated from the building as a safety precaution. Investigators left the campus shortly after midnight, Feb. 8, 2012, and students were able to return to their rooms. Results of search According to the criminal complaint filed against Gallo Dec. 5, law enforcement officers observed several items when they entered his room last February, including: • A modified ballpoint pen housing that contained “strike anywhere matches” and a substance later determined to be possibly a form of improvised thermite mixture, with steel balls embedded in the end of the housing, and wrapped in blue painter’s tape. Improvised thermite is typically a mixture of iron oxide powder and aluminum powder and in an incendiary mixture. The combination of the mixture, and the “strikeanywhere matches” that could be used to ignite the mixture, could propel the steel balls as a form of shrapnel. • A pyramid-shaped item approximately the size of a tennis ball made of gray duct tape with a fuse protruding through the opening at the top of the item. Law enforcement in South Dakota ultimately determined that the item contained approximately 500 match heads. • A clear plastic bag containing ash remains that are visually consistent with burned improvised thermite mixture. • A modified cigarette box that contained a 9volt battery to which red and white wires were attached, gray duct tape, black electrical tape, and a small piece of cardboard encapsulating silver foil object. • A wall poster appearing to be a handdrawn image of, among other things, an arrow pointing down to the initials of University 1 on a platform, and cigarette package with word “DEAD,” moving toward the platform. • A five-pound back of red iron oxide. While red iron oxide powder has industrial uses, it is also one of the ingredients of thermite, which can be used in in destructive devices. • A plastic bag containing powder of a color consistent with the color of the powder in the bag marked “Red Iron Oxide.” This bag, however, was labeled to indicate it contained aluminum powder. Aluminum powder and red iron oxide are the only two ingredients necessary to create thermite. • Match sticks with the heads removed. Law enforcement spoke with numerous individuals after the room search, including a childhood friend of Gallo’s, identified only as “Individual 1.” This individual stated that he had seen Gallo approximately two weeks earlier, and had exchanged e-mails with Gallo about making bombs, fireworks, or other explosive materials. Facebook activity A court-authorized search of Gallo’s Facebook account was also conducted, revealing Gallo’s obsession with explosives. At approximately 5:27 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2012, Gallo wrote, “about to drive to Pistolvania (sic) to blow up some sick s**t.” Another individual (“Individual 2”) responded, “whatcha gonna doo (sic)?” Gallo responded at approximately 5:31 a.m., “400 ml kclo3+mg (potassium chlorate and magnesium).” Kclo3+mg represents the formula for potassium chlorate and magnesium, chemicals that when combined, can produce an explosion. At approximately 5:32 a.m., Individual 2 wrote: “oh my.” Gallo wrote, at approximately 5:34 a.m., “yea in a pvc pipe.” A minute later, he wrote, “its sickkk (sic) lol we gotta drive to like the middle of f**cking nowhere.” Individual 2 thereafter immediately responded, “hahah (sic) is it worth it though?” Gallo responded at 5:45 a.m., “yea this s**t will blow ur arm off.” At 5:47 a.m., Gallo wrote, “I (sic) gottsa (sic) goo (sic) tho (sic) im (sic) pistolvania (sic) bound!” Later, at approximately 5:02 p.m., Gallo wrote, “… yoo (sic) that s**t we set off in pistolvania (sic) was NUTS.” At approximately 5:09 p.m., Gallo elaborated, in response to Individual 2’s inquiry, “my friend took a video ill (sic) show u wen (sic) he sends it to me. it (sic) def (sic) had more explosive power than a mark II fragmentation grenade it was sooooooooo loud.” At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8, Gallo posted that he had driven over 200 miles in three states. According to the complaint, Gallo was admitted on Jan. 19, 2012 to the emergency room of a hospital in New Jersey for burn injuries from a potassium chlorate explosion. On Jan. 24, Gallo engaged in an exchange on Facebook with another individual (Individual 3). In response to the comment by Gallo that his “face was half burned off,” Individual 3 asked, “what did yu (sic) do?” Gallo responded, “potassium chlorate explosion … KClO3 (potassium chlorate) is a common oxidizer that they used to use in grenades back in wwdeuce (sic).” Another student arrested earlier Gallo is the second former USD student arrested with an alleged connection to the January 2012 bomb scare at Coyote Village. Elan Haba, 19, a sophomore on the RutgersNewark campus in Newark, NJ, was arrested Feb. 7, 2012, and faces charges including theft, and possession of fireworks and a prohibited weapon. A resident of North Caldwell, NJ, Haba was brought to the attention of authorities by officials from USD following the search of Gallo’s room at Coyote Village. According to the Associated Press, the USD authorities said that Haba had an alleged connection to the “student in question.” A dorm on the Rutgers-Newark campus was evacuated Feb. 8, 2012, while the FBI searched for further potentially hazardous substances relating to Haba, who has been released to his parents, the AP said. If convicted of the charges, Gallo faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, Newark, NJ, credited special agents with the FBI – Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward, with the investigation leading to Wednesday’s arrest. The Newark-based task force is composed of personnel from 30 federal, state and local agencies from throughout the region. The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. VHS girls outscored by Tigers 74-24 By Parker Knox Sportswriter Twelve players scored for Harrisburg as the visiting Tigers spoiled the season opener for Vermillion's girls, 74-24, last Friday. A 20-point second quarter sent the Tigers into the halftime break with an insurmountable 38-13 lead. The final margin was swelled when the Tanagers suffered through a two-point fourth quarter. "Our girls kept their heads up and played tough," said Coach Nick Mayer, who faces a rebuilding job after last year's state tournament ballclub saw several seniors graduating. "They (Harrisburg) pressured us, and we couldn't do a lot of things that we wanted to do." Josie Huber earned her stripes with a 15point game to lead Vermillion offensively, followed by Brooke Schwasinger with five points. Mackenzie Huber had three steals, and Blair Gilkyson contributed four steals and four assists. Dannie Honner led the Tigers with 11 points, and Brittany Blakney added 10. Now 0-1 in Big 8 Conference standings, Vermillion will be home for another league game against Madison on Monday, then plays at Tri-Valley in a girls-boys doubleheader Tuesday to conclude the preChristmas schedule. Tell them you saw it in the Broadcaster! 624-4429 OIF/OEF VETERANS AND SOLDIERS NEEDED FOR RESEARCH “Neural and Behavioral Correlates of PTSD and Alcohol Use” The Best Western Vermillion Inn (formerly, Comfort Inn) has been in business since 1992. Joe and Lisa Eckert have been owner/operators for the past 20 years. The hotel property was fully renovated August 2012. The renovations include new furniture, flat screen TV’s, refrigerators, carpet, wall and window coverings, bedding, mattresses, and granite countertops. We have 46 guest rooms including two whirlpool suites, HBO, high-speed wireless, business center, indoor pool with sauna and whirlpool, fitness room, and free hot breakfast. If you have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, are right-handed, and are between the ages of 18 and 45, and are not currently pregnant, you are being invited to participate in a research project about past experiences with stress and current behaviors. This study is being conducted by Drs. Gina Forster, Jeffrey Simons and Raluca Gaher at The University of South Dakota. Participation in this study involves completing an interview and questionnaire with a research team member, which should take 3 hours or less. Your participation in this study is completely voluntary and your responses will be confidential. You will be given $100 for completing the initial interview and eligible participants will be invited to participate in a second study using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in which you will receive $300. If you are active duty military, you will only be compensated for research participation if you are off duty. If you are interested in this study, please contact Dawne Olson at 605-677-5170 or neurostudies@usd.edu for more information.