Protester Barely Escapes A-Test
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LAS VEGAS — A large nuclear weapon was exploded today deep beneath the desert floor, only minutes after an anti-nuclear protester who infiltrated near ground zero was arrested and plucked from the area by helicopter.
Scientists were within 5 to 10 minutes of detonating the weapon at the Nevada Test Site when the unidentified man, the last of six protesters who infiltrated the site, was spotted by a helicopter crew within a mile of ground zero, said Department of Energy spokesman Dave Miller. The test, which was delayed another 25 minutes while the man was taken from the area, was finally detonated without apparent incident at 12:25 p.m.
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