11:40 PM CDT on Thursday, July 20, 2006

By Wendell Edwards / 11 News

Jeremy Rogolski's report | Texas City Police press conference part 1 | part 2| Raw video: HPD detonates more explosives

11 News has learned more about the two suspects involved in an apartment explosion in Texas City.

One of them, 21-year-old Matthew Rugo, was killed in the explosion at the Lakeview apartments Wednesday.

KHOU - TV

Matthew Rugo, 21, was killed in Wednesday's explosion, Curtis Jetton, 21, was injured and arrested

His roommate, 21-year-old Curtis Jetton, was injured in the blast.

Authorities say they were making peroxide-based explosives in their apartment in the 8800 block of Palmer Highway.

Jetton was injured and is now charged with filing a false report. He's being held on a $10,000 bond.

Jetton's mother gave 11 News an earful, but refused to speak on camera. She said her son has suffered from a mental disorder since he was young.

She angrily denied that her son had any involvement with any hate group.

11 News sources say the pair may have belonged to a local, four-member group which professes its hatred for the American government.

We're told that two members of that group are women and those women allegedly admitted to investigators their affiliation to this anarchist group.

Our sources tell us there is no evidence pointing to any international terrorism ties. However the chemical they were apparently using is popular with suicide bombers and other terrorists.

Meanwhile, authorities in Texas City continued collecting evidence Thursday.

They're going over a computer recovered from Rugo's home.

Late Thursday most residents of that Texas City apartment complex were allowed to return home.

KEVIN BARTRAM / DAILY NEWS

The detonation set off a fire that was quickly put out.

"We don't have a lot, if any to update you on the case itself. It's still ongoing and we still have a lot to do," said Texas City Police Chief Robert Burby.

Authorities said only residents living in the building where the blast occured are not being allowed back.

"The structure itself, that quad area, because obviously it's unstable and it's going to have to go through some inspections and some work before it's able to be lived in again," said Chief Burby.

Police blew up the apartment in a controlled detonation early Thursday afternoon.

The blast which occured sometime after 1 p.m. set off a fire in the apartment. It was quickly put out.

Investigators suspect Rugo was making explosives for a weekend entertainment activity. They said he and his friends allegedly liked to blow things up.

In a news conference Thursday, authorities said they found more explosive materials that convinced them drastic action was necessary.

“Our bomb technicians and some of the other tactical experts out here with Texas City have found some residual material, some energetic material that’s unstable and really not safe to transport,” said HPD Captain Dwayne Ready.

That explosive was detonated and as a precaution, authorities said, the whole complex and surrounding buildings were evacuated.

“Right now our focus is to get these chemicals under control,” said Chief Burby.

Residents asked to evacuate were filled with fear.

"They turned off our electricity first. We didn't know what was going on. I had my work shirt in the dryer and I thought, darn, what do I do. So, we're just leaving. We don't know where we're going," said apartment resident, Lindsey Warnick.

“We’re going to push forward to ensure that we can get this apartment complex back to normal as soon as we can and ensure this detonation goes off and no one else is injured,” said Chief Burby.

An FBI spokesperson initially said Wednesday's blast wasn't connected to any kind of terrorist activity, but refused to comment when asked about terrorism at Thursday's news conference.

That official did say that last year a similar type substance was being utilized overseas.

TATP, the explosive agents believe was in the apartment, has been linked to suicide bombers in the past.

"It's a peroxide based explosive that can be made in somebody's tub. It can be made in somebody's garage. It's a very volatile substance that's extremely sensitive to heat, shock and friction," said FBI Special Agent Kasey B.H. Salway.

Earlier this morning, more explosives were detonated at the complex.

A lot of worried residents were unnerved by the sound of another explosion.

"I heard it again this morning. I heard this like thunder boom again and I thought, well maybe it’s the weather. See, because that’s what I thought I heard yesterday,” said one of the residents.

KHOU

The cause of the blast is under investigation.

Jetton was treated and released from UTMB.

Mike Rapper said he just met Rugo and his 21-year-old roommate Jetton.

One of them, Rapper said, offered him a job cleaning storage tanks.

“He was trying to be a good citizen to get me a job.. Never imagined what they were actually doing,” said Rapper.

Rapper was evacuated from his home Wednesday.  It doesn’t seem like he and his neighbors are going to get back into their homes anytime soon.

Shelter has been set up at the gym at the College of the Mainland.

Animal control is helping out with the pets.  They already loaded some of the pets belonging to tenants.

Officials said Lugo’s mother leased the apartment for him.  He was a student at Mainland College.