A bomb has been found in the area around an ethanol plant in Illinois on Friday, Nov. 13. Nearby residents have been forced to evacuate as the FBI and other authorities launch investigations.
The Bomb Has Now Been ‘Rendered Safe’
The bomb was discovered at the BioUrja Renewables facility, which is located in Peoria, Illinois, the Associated Press reported on Saturday, Nov. 14 (via NPR), noting that “[w]hile officials say the device has since been ‘rendered safe,’ as of Saturday morning, all residents within a 1-mile radius remained under an evacuation notice as officials continued to scour the facility for any other bombs and evidence.”
ABC News also reported that “[p]olice determined at about 6:45 p.m. local time Friday that a package at the facility was a credible threat and established a one-mile blast radius, officials said.”
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali spoke to WMBD-TV on Friday, saying, “We have a serious threat, bomb threat in Peoria around the BioUrja, formerly ADM facility. And because of that, we need for people at least within that one mile radius to evacuate.”
“The FBI is involved,” Ali continued. “The Coast Guard is involved. Certainly our Peoria Police Department and other agencies are involved in trying to figure out this situation ,trying to make sure that if there are any devices that they are deactivated. We don’t know whether there’s one device or whether there’s multiple devices.”
Ali also noted, “BioUrja is a plant that has ethanol and and highly combustible types of chemicals. And so that’s what alarms us, that people have to take this serious. We don’t want them to take it lightly and to just ignore the alerts to evacuate. We want them to take it very serious.”
Early Saturday, Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon backed up Ali’s concerns, stating, “This is a credible threat. We need to take the blast radius seriously.”
As for the origin of the bomb, FBI Special Agent Ryan Pressley noted that his agency was investigating, saying, “We will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice.”
No injuries have been reported and no arrests have been made at this time.
The Evacuation Order Has Now Been Lifted
By mid-afternoon on Nov. 14, the Associated Press reported that the “evacuation order that forced hundreds of people from their homes near an industrial site in central Illinois was lifted Saturday after law enforcement agencies completed a search of the area, authorities said.”
Indeed, The Peoria Police Department shared a Facebook post just after 1 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, noting that the device was no longer a threat. Beyond that, the police mentioned that local, state and federal law enforcement had all searched the BioUrja Renewables facility and failed to find any other devices or reasons for concern.
While explaining that roads in the area were being reopened, police stated, “Residents are now free to return to their homes in the area that was affected.”
The investigation surrounding the bomb is ongoing.
Bomb Discovered Near Illinois Ethanol Plant, FBI Investigating