Police: Ex-nuclear plant worker made terror threats

SAN CLEMENTE, California (CNN) -- A man who had been fired from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in southern California was in custody Wednesday after allegedly making terrorist threats against co-workers and supervisors at the facility.

David Reza, 43, is in a jail in Santa Ana, charged with making terrorist threats, possession of illegal weapons and possession of a controlled substance, said Jim Amormino, the Orange County Sheriff's Department information officer.

Reza allegedly said he had a number of guns and weapons and he would come to the power plant and kill people, Amormino said.

The former nuclear plant worker, who lives in Laguna Niguel in Orange County, made the threats a few days ago. The threats later intensified, and it was then that the authorities were notified, Amormino said.

Police said Reza been a maintenance worker at the plant and left his job about a year ago.

Authorities found weapons and ammunition at his home and at a storage shed in San Juan Capistrano used by him.

At the residence, 54 weapons were found; a number of those were assault rifles. In the storage bin, deputies found over 200 additional weapons, Amormino said.

Among those confiscated were several assault rifles that are illegal to possess. They found between 4,000 and 5,000 rounds of ammunition, and four hand grenades with their black explosive powder taken out but stored right next to them.

During the storage bin search, two deputies opened a military ammunition container, were overcome by fumes and had difficulty breathing. The deputies were transported to a hospital in Mission Viejo and are in good condition, Amormino said.

They were released from the hospital late Wednesday. Officials said the substance they were exposed to was some kind of chemical agent that irritated the eyes and respiratory system, but they did not identify it.

The plant is 10 miles south of San Clemente.

Local authorities will be handling the investigation. The sheriff's department believes it's an isolated incident, saying that Reza apparently wanted to get even with his supervisors for being fired.

John Iannarelli, spokesman for the FBI in San Diego, said the case appears to be a disgruntled employee incident and the FBI is not involved in it.