FACTS
The Peoria evacuation order in Illinois was lifted at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, after crews finished searching the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant at 1 Edmund St., according to WCBU. The FBI said a device found at the plant Friday night was “rendered safe.” No injuries or arrests have been reported.
The plant was formerly owned by ADM. A threat against it was reported just after 1 p.m. Central time Friday and was received “electronically,” officials said, according to ABC7 Chicago.
How the Peoria evacuation unfolded
Just after 7 p.m. Friday, officials ordered everyone within a one-mile radius of the plant in Peoria and East Peoria to leave. More than 5,000 people were evacuated, CNN reported, according to ABC7. Shelters opened at Manual Academy and the EastSide Centre.
The device was rendered safe just after 9 p.m. Friday, according to the FBI. Searchers returned about 6 a.m. Saturday, paused from 9:45 to 10:15 a.m., and finished before 1 p.m., WCBU reported.
The U.S. Coast Guard closed the Illinois River between mile markers 160 and 164 during the response, said Capt. Brandy Parker, according to WCBU. The ATF and Illinois State Police also took part. Gov. JB Pritzker directed state police to assist, CBS Chicago reported.
A Jon Pardi concert scheduled in Peoria was canceled, according to ABC News.
What officials said
Ryan A. Presley, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Springfield field office, said the device was “rendered safe.” “We will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice,” he said, WCBU reported.
Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon described the threat in the department’s terms. “I’m just going to tell you the wording we use: It was a credible threat,” he said. “We’re not considering this a hoax.”
Dixon also spoke about the effect on residents. “We displaced people’s lives,” he said, according to WCBU.
Asked about Mayor Rita Ali’s earlier statement that “we know it’s a bomb,” Dixon did not confirm what the device was, WCBU reported. Patch and other outlets cited reports describing it as a bomb.
The investigation
Officials have not named a suspect or said how the threat was sent beyond calling it electronic. Residents were allowed to return home once the order was lifted Saturday afternoon.
More coverage is in the Stay Current News U.S. section.
Photo: File photo of the Peoria, Illinois, skyline. Scott Tranchitella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
