2 men held after suspicious item found

Two men were detained after police found a suspicious item in their car during a routine traffic stop near Charleston and detonated it, authorities said Sunday.

The men, who had been stopped for speeding, were being held pending a charge of unlawful possession of an explosive device, said Berkeley County sheriff's Lt. Vince Lombard.

Lombard would not say what the device was or what bomb technicians from neighboring Charleston County exploded about 2:45 a.m. Sunday. The item made a loud bang, similar to a firecracker, when it was demolished.

No charges had been filed as of Sunday afternoon, Berkeley County Chief Deputy Butch Henerey told The Post and Courier of Charleston for a story posted on its Web site Sunday.

A terrorism task force is reviewing evidence, said FBI spokesman Richard Kolko.

"At this point, it is too early in the investigation to say there is any link to terrorism," Kolko said.

He referred questions about the suspects, whom he did not identify, to local authorities. The sheriff's office would not comment to The Associated Press but planned a news conference Monday morning.

Authorities closed a mile-long stretch of U.S. Highway 176 at about 7 p.m. Saturday, and federal officials said there was "no immediate threat." It reopened at about 4 a.m. Sunday.

Goose Creek is home to the Naval Weapons Station, which houses the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where enemy combatants have been held.

The car was heading west, away from Goose Creek, when it was pulled over about 7 miles from the sprawling Navy facility, Lombard said.

An FBI spokesmen said no more information would be released until Monday.

Goose Creek, with a population of about 30,000, is about 20 miles north of Charleston.