A bomb threat at an ethanol plant prompted a large-scale evacuation of parts of an Illinois city Friday night as officials worked to defuse the credible threat.
The suspicious package was discovered at the BioUrja Renewables plant in Peoria, Ill., just after 1 p.m. Friday.
Peoria police ruled the device a credible threat an hour later as FBI agents were called to the scene, Police Chief Brad Dixon said at a press conference early Saturday morning.
Officials determined a 1-mile-wide blast-radius zone and issued an urgent evacuation notice for the area at 7 p.m.
“As a precautionary measure, the Peoria Police Department is urging anyone who lives or works within a one-mile radius of the facility to immediately evacuate their homes and businesses until further notice,” city officials said.
Bomb technicians were called in and “rendered the package safe” at 9:12 p.m.
The rest of the plant was not cleared and a search for additional threats was launched.
“It’s a large facility. There’s going to be an exhaustive search of the facility. That has not been completed yet,” Dixon said, warning Peoria residents the evacuation notice would remain in effect.
Multiple local, state and federal agencies responded to the bomb threat, including the Illinois State Police, the Illinois Secretary of State, the ATF and the FBI, FBI Springfield Field Office’s Special Agent in Charge Ryan Presley said at the press conference.
Presley didn’t identify any suspects or motive to the bomb threat but warned the alleged perpetrators would be “brought to justice.”
“We are currently investigating this incident with all of our partners. While it is early in this investigation, know this: we will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice,” Presley said.
The BioUrja facility – formerly known as the ADM plant – distills ethanol alcohol for spirit beverages, hand sanitizers and adhesives, according to the company.
The plant sits on the west bank of the Illinois River blocks from the Downtown Peoria Historic District.
Nearby factories including the Caterpillar plant across the water told workers on the third shift not to go to work Friday night into Saturday because of the evacuation order, 25NewsNow reported.
“Due to guidance from local officials on the safety situation in downtown Peoria, employees should not report for third shift. Please follow local law enforcement guidance on this developing situation,” the company said.
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