Texas buyer finds live Second World War grenades in estate-sale box

A Texas buyer found several Second World War-era grenades while going through items in boxes purchased at an estate sale on Monday. The discovery prompted a neighbourhood lockdown and brought in the Austin Police Department’s bomb squad.

The grenades were removed and disarmed. The Austin Police Association described them as “live and active”, but said they did not pose an immediate threat under the circumstances.

Bomb squad used X-rays

Technicians examined the devices with X-rays. Austin radio station KLBJ reported that at least three olive-coloured grenades were Mk 2 anti-personnel fragmentation grenades, widely used by US forces during the Second World War.

The Mk 2 was nicknamed the “pineapple” grenade because of its distinctive shape. The US Army and Marine Corps kept the weapon in limited use until the 1960s.

Patrol officers secured the scene and established a perimeter while waiting for explosive-ordnance specialists. The police association did not identify the seller or the buyer.

Police advised people not to touch or move old military ordnance, even if it appears inert, and to call 911. Age can make such devices harder to handle because fuses deteriorate and explosives may become less stable over time.