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Bomb found near ethanol plant in central Illinois forces evacuations

By · Via NPR · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Law enforcement officials neutralized the hazardous device discovered on Friday near the BioUrja Renewables industrial site. Despite the device being rendered safe, the surrounding one-mile evacuation order was kept active through Saturday morning as a precaution. Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon noted that responders must thoroughly search the entire facility for additional explosives and evidence before allowing residents back. The ongoing investigation is being conducted jointly with the FBI, and no injuries or arrests have been reported.

Key points

  • Federal agents from the FBI are assisting local law enforcement to investigate the incide…: Federal agents from the FBI are assisting local law enforcement to investigate the incident.
  • Emergency sweeps continue at the industrial facility to search for evidence and potential…: Emergency sweeps continue at the industrial facility to search for evidence and potential additional explosives.
  • Authorities maintained the protective perimeter due to severe blast risks involving nearb…: Authorities maintained the protective perimeter due to severe blast risks involving nearby combustible chemicals.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A bomb was found near an ethanol plant in central Illinois, sparking evacuations of those who live near the industrial site as law enforcement officials investigate, authorities said Saturday.

The bomb was found Friday afternoon at the BioUrja Renewables facility in Peoria. While 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.

Meanwhile, shelters have been set up for those displaced by the threat, authorities said.

"This is a credible threat," Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon told reporters just after midnight Saturday. "We need to take the blast radius seriously."

FBI Special Agent Ryan Pressley said his agency was investigating, but declined to provide further details.

"We will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice," he said.

No arrests have been made at this time and no injuries have been reported.

Peoria Mayor Rita Ali told WMBD-TV on Friday that BioUrja is "a plant that has ethanol…

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