Peoria bomb threat: FBI investigates at ethanol plant in Illinois
Authorities in Peoria, Illinois, successfully neutralized a bomb found at a BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant after a 24-hour evacuation of the surrounding area. No injuries were reported, and while the threat was deemed credible, no arrests have been made as the investigation continues.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing security concerns regarding critical industrial infrastructure and the significant economic and social disruption caused by credible bomb threats.
A bomb found at a central Illinois ethanol plant on Friday forced thousands of people to evacuate a city’s downtown area for a day as investigators searched a sprawling industrial facility to rule out any further threats, police said. By Saturday afternoon, about 24 hours later, police lifted the evacuation order and canceled a one-mile blast radius after investigators completed a search of the facility. The bomb was found at the BioUrja Renewables facility in Peoria, a city of 110,000 people about 130 miles southwest of Chicago. The plant is several floors and more than 44 football fields in size, police said. No arrests have been made so far. “We know it’s a credible threat. We know it’s a bomb,” Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said late Friday.
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FBI Investigates Credible Bomb Found at Illinois Ethanol Plant
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