A bomb was discovered Friday at an ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, prompting an FBI investigation and forcing more than 5,000 people living and working nearby to evacuate their homes, officials said.
The device was found Friday afternoon at the BioUrja Renewables facility, an ethanol and alcohol production plant in the central Illinois city. Bomb technicians later rendered it safe, but authorities kept the evacuation order in place for everyone within a one-mile radius of the plant, including parts of neighboring East Peoria, while they searched the site for additional devices.
"A device has been identified. We know it's a credible threat. We know it's a bomb. We don't know whether there are other devices," Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said late Friday. She noted that the plant contains ethanol and other highly combustible chemicals.
"This is a credible threat," Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon told reporters shortly after midnight. "We need to take the blast radius seriously." Dixon said the entire property would have to be searched.
FBI Special Agent Ryan Pressley of the bureau's Springfield office said agents determined the suspicious package was a threat. "We will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice," he said.
No arrests have been made and no injuries have been reported. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker directed state police to coordinate with local authorities and urged residents to follow evacuation instructions. Shelters have been opened for displaced residents, and several roads around the plant remain closed.
