Bomb at BioUrja Ethanol Plant Triggers 1-Mile Evacuation in 2 Illinois Cities

Q: How did a live bomb breach security at a highly flammable ethanol plant, and who was the intended target?

It is not yet known how the bomb got into or near the BioUrja ethanol plant, or who the intended target was. What is confirmed is that authorities found what Mayor Rita Ali called a credible bomb at the riverfront facility, prompting a one-mile evacuation zone across parts of Peoria and East Peoria. Officials said the device may have been deactivated, but they could not verify that and did not know whether additional devices existed. ATF explosives specialists, Illinois State Police and local officers were still searching the plant and surrounding area. Because the investigation was active, officials had not publicly explained whether the device was carried onto the property, left as a suspicious package, or placed by someone with access to the site. There has also been no public account so far of any security breach, surveillance findings, suspect, arrest, or motive. Without those facts, it is too early to say whether the target was the plant itself, its workers, nearby residents, or the broader downtown riverfront area. The choice of location is significant. An ethanol plant is a sensitive industrial site because of flammable materials, which is why authorities treated the threat as especially serious and evacuated a large radius. But that risk does not by itself establish intent. Until investigators release more, the only responsible answer is that both the method of entry and the intended target remain undetermined.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 14

A 1-mile evacuation zone remained in effect early Saturday after emergency crews found what Peoria Mayor Rita Ali described as a bomb at the BioUrja ethanol plant along the Illinois River.
Ali said the device may have been deactivated but officials could not confirm that and were still unsure whether there was one bomb or multiple devices.
Parts of Peoria and East Peoria were shut down for hours Friday night as city, state and federal authorities, including ATF agents and Illinois state troopers, secured the riverfront industrial area.
The evacuation covered residential and commercial areas on both sides of the river in the two neighboring cities, though officials did not immediately say how many people were affected.
The security scare also disrupted local events, with country singer Jon Pardi canceling a Friday concert in Peoria while state leaders urged residents to follow evacuation orders.