Peoria, Illinois Ethanol Plant Bomb Threat Lifted Afternoon of Nov. 14; One-Mile Evacuation Order Canceled, More Than 5,000 Return Home
A bomb threat at an ethanol plant in Peoria was lifted on the afternoon of Nov. 14, with police canceling a one-mile evacuation order and more than 5,000 evacuated residents gradually returning home. Peoria police said that after a full day of searching, no further suspicious items were found at the plant, no one was injured, no arrests have been made, and the investigation continues. The threat began at about 1:08 p.m. on Nov. 13, when the BioUrja renewable energy ethanol plant on the Illinois River reported a bomb threat to police, and about an hour later a suspicious package was found inside the plant. At about 6:45 p.m. that evening, police determined the package posed a credible threat and ordered the evacuation of residents within one mile of the plant, with shelters set up at Manuel Academy High School and the East Bluff Center. At 9:12 p.m., the bomb squad rendered the package safe, but police said the plant had not yet been fully cleared, and the evacuation order remained in effect on the morning of Nov. 14. On the afternoon of Nov. 14, police completed a search of the plant, which covers an area equivalent to 44 and a half football fields, and canceled the evacuation order after confirming there were no other threats.
The FBI's Springfield office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Chicago division, Illinois State Police, and the Coast Guard all took part in the response, and Gov. Pritzker has directed state police to assist local authorities. The threat also disrupted downtown weekend events: country singer Jon Pardi's concert at the Peoria Civic Center on the evening of Nov. 13 was canceled after the audience had been admitted, the Illinois Anime Convention's Nov. 14 events were canceled, and the Rivermen's home hockey game that evening was postponed. Police said they are working hard to trace the source of the threat.
Source: Peoria Police Department
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：伊利诺伊州皮奥里亚市天际线（资料图）。来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / Photo: The Peoria, Illinois skyline (file photo). Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
