A bomb threat at an ethanol plant in Peoria, about 160 miles south of Chicago
The mass evacuation of neighborhoods within a one-mile radius of an Illinois ethanol plant continued Saturday after police said a suspicious package was determined to be a credible bomb threat.
While the package found at BioUrja Renewables was “rendered safe,” Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said a search was being conducted at the South Peoria plant.
Ryan Presley, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Springfield office, declined to provide additional details. He said investigators will work “tirelessly” to find whoever is responsible and “bring them to justice.”
Authorities determined a one-mile blast radius, and emergency responders evacuated more than 5,000 residents and workers as a precaution, officials said.
“While it is early in the investigation, know this. We will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice,” said FBI Special Agent Ryan Pressley from the bureau’s Springfield office.
