Peoria bomb threat: Police continue search for more explosives at BioUrja plant as evacuation order remains

Police and federal investigators are continuing to search the BioUrja Renewables plant in Peoria, Illinois, for possible additional explosives after a bomb was discovered at the facility on Friday, November 13. The explosive device was rendered safe around 9:12pm, but authorities have not cleared the site, and an evacuation order covering a one-mile radius remains in effect as of Saturday, November 14.

Police and the FBI continue searching Peoria's BioUrja plant for explosives after one bomb was found, while nearby residents remain evacuated. (Unsplash (Representational image))The FBI is assisting local authorities with the investigation.

However, officials have not confirmed how many additional devices, if any, could be at the facility. A social media post by JLR Investigates, an investigative reporter, has also claimed that the FBI is searching for three more bombs in the Peoria area.

The post stated, "FBI are looking for 3 more bombs planted in the Peoria Illinois area. We are watching LIVE on KICK." However, the claim about three additional bomb threats has not been confirmed by law enforcement officials.

The investigation began Friday after BioUrja Renewables reported receiving a bomb threat. According to Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon, the company contacted police at 1:08pm A suspicious package was found at around 2pm, and investigators determined it was a credible threat by 6:45pm.

Bomb technicians later rendered the device safe at approximately 9:12pm. Despite that development, the search did not end. Dixon said the facility was large and would require a detailed search before authorities could declare the area safe.

"It's a large facility, there's going to be exhaustive search of the facility. That has not been completed yet," Dixon said during a news conference early Saturday. He also warned residents against returning to the affected area while investigators continued their work.

The FBI's Springfield office is working with Peoria police and other agencies to investigate the threat and identify the person responsible. FBI Special Agent Ryan Pressley confirmed his agency's involvement but did not share specific details about the investigation.

"We will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice," Pressley said. Peoria Mayor Rita Ali also confirmed that authorities had found a bomb at the facility. However, she said investigators could not yet determine whether other devices were present.

"We don't know whether there's one device or multiple devices," Ali told WMBD-TV. Ali also explained why the discovery raised serious safety concerns. The BioUrja facility handles ethanol and other highly combustible chemicals.

Authorities ordered people living and working within a one-mile radius of the plant to leave their homes and businesses on Friday evening. The evacuation zone covers parts of downtown Peoria, the Warehouse District and areas across the Illinois River into East Peoria.

Several roads in the affected area were also closed. Residents who needed temporary shelter were directed to Manual High School in Peoria and EastSide Centre in East Peoria.