Law enforcement searches Illinois plant after 'credible threat' of explosive device

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Nov 14 - State and federal officers on Saturday searched a biofuels plant in Peoria, Illinois, for explosives after a device deemed a \"credible threat\" was found nearby, officials said, prompting a notice for residents to evacuate an area with a 1-mile radius. Read more at straitstimes.com.

A section of the sprawling BioUrja ethanol plant is seen in Peoria, Illinois, US on April 12, 2023. Matt Dayhoff/USA Today Network via REUTERS/File Photo

Nov 14 - State and federal officers on Saturday searched a biofuels plant in Peoria, Illinois, for explosives after a device deemed a "credible threat" was found nearby, officials said, prompting a notice for residents to evacuate an area with a 1-mile radius.

The evacuation order was lifted on Saturday, almost a full day after the device was discovered on Friday close to the BioUrja ethanol plant in Peoria, a city of about 110,000 people, some 150 miles (240 km) southwest of Chicago, officials said. Bomb technicians rendered it safe, Peoria police said.

Law enforcement personnel on Saturday afternoon finished their search of the sprawling facility, which is the size of 44-1/2 football fields, Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said.

A standard American football field occupies roughly 1.3 acres (0.5 hectares).

The Peoria Police Department said in a statement on Facebook that nothing "of concern" was found and the evacuation notice was lifted.

The owner of the plant, the BioUrja Group of Houston, Texas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The incident began on Friday after the plant informed the police that it had received a bomb threat. Dixon on Saturday said he would not call the device a bomb because the process for determining its composition was ongoing.

"I can just tell you it was deemed a credible threat," Dixon told reporters at a briefing. "There's an extensive criminal investigation going on."

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