The gunman behind the attack that killed five police officers in Dallas did not have a "large stockpile" of materials to make a bomb in his home, two officials told the Associated Press Friday.
Contradicting earlier claims that Micah Xavier Johnson had enough explosives in his possession to implement a larger attack, the officials, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, said that only a small amount of an explosive called Tannerite and acetone were found in Johnson's home when officers searched it Friday. Acetone can be used as an accelerant in explosives, AP notes.
According to AP, both Tannerite and acetone are legal and relatively easy to purchase. Tannerite is often used in small targets that produce powder when hit by a gunshot, like at gun ranges, AP notes. Acetone is used in nail polish remover.
Tannerite can be used to create large explosions in larger quantities. AP notes that an advisory by a company that manufactures Tannerite says that its intended use is around 1 pound. At 50 pounds, it can be used as an "exploding target" with another chemical additive, the newswire notes.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown had earlier said following the July 7 ambush that Johnson had had enough explosives for a larger attack.
"There was a large stockpile," Brown told reporters July 11. "One of the bomb techs called me at home to describe his concern of how large a stockpile of bomb-making materials he had. And according to that bomb tech, he knew what he was doing, and this wasn't some novice."
The day before that, AP notes, Brown told CNN that Johnson had enough materials "to have devastating effect throughout our city and our North Texas area."
Read more at the Associated Press.