PEORIA, Ill. — An explosive device found Friday afternoon at the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant in South Peoria forced more than 5,000 residents and workers out of the city's downtown for about a day before police lifted the evacuation order Saturday afternoon, officials said.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are jointly leading the investigation with local and state agencies. No injuries and no arrests have been reported, and police said no additional devices were found during a sweep of the large riverside complex.
Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said officers received the initial threat report just after 1 p.m. CT Friday, and the suspicious package was identified about an hour later at the plant. The facility sits in an industrial area along the Illinois River just south of downtown Peoria, roughly 130 miles southwest of Chicago. Officials determined the device could produce a one-mile blast radius, which set the evacuation in motion.
The evacuation
Peoria and East Peoria authorities ordered an evacuation within a one-mile radius of the plant on the Peoria riverfront. More than 5,000 residents and workers were moved out of the area around downtown. Shelters were opened at Manual Academy High School in Peoria and at EastSide Centre, a sports complex in East Peoria.
The device was "rendered safe" at about 9:12 p.m. Friday, Chief Dixon said, and the search continued for other potential devices. Officers went door-to-door overnight, and bomb teams entered the facility early Saturday morning alongside BioUrja employees.
Evacuation lifted
Around 1 p.m. CT Saturday, police lifted the evacuation order and canceled the one-mile blast radius after completing the search without finding additional devices. East Peoria said residents could return to their homes and businesses could resume normal operations.
Chief Dixon said the package was a credible threat, not a hoax.
Who is investigating
The FBI and ATF are leading the investigation alongside the Peoria Police and Fire departments, the Peoria County Sheriff's Office, the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Secretary of State's office. The ATF said there is no known connection to terrorism, and authorities are working to identify the person or people responsible.
"While it is early in the investigation, know this: we will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice," Ryan Presley, special agent in charge of the FBI's Springfield office, told reporters.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker directed the Illinois State Police to coordinate with local officials. State troopers assisted with traffic control, including ramp closures along Interstate 74, which runs through the city's downtown. Peoria Mayor Rita Ali told reporters late Friday the threat was considered credible and called the device a "bomb."
Background
The BioUrja plant produces ethanol for fuel and alcohol at a facility that dates to the 1930s and was originally built as an alcohol plant. Police have not said what the device was made of, and the investigation is ongoing.
