Residents were allowed to return home on Saturday after an evacuation linked to a bomb threat near the BioUrja ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, was lifted.
The city of East Peoria said the one-mile evacuation zone was cleared at 1pm local time, allowing residents to return and businesses to resume normal operations.
A suspicious package was found near the plant at about 2pm on Friday. Peoria police said it was later assessed as a “credible threat”.
Police Chief Brad Dixon said the package had been “rendered safe” at 9.12pm, but officers continued searching the wider area for any other possible devices.
“The area of BioUrja has not been rendered safe, just the package that was on site. It’s a large facility; there’s going to be an exhaustive search,” Mr Dixon said.
Investigation into Peoria bomb threat continues
Mr Dixon said there was still “no explanation on what the device was” and confirmed the investigation remained ongoing.
The FBI sent personnel to work with the Peoria Police Department, Peoria Fire Department, Peoria County Sheriff’s Department, the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office and Illinois State Police.
FBI special agent Ryan Presley said: “We are currently investigating this incident with all of our partners. While it is early in the investigation, know this: we will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he was monitoring the situation and had directed state police to co-ordinate with local authorities.
Peoria mayor Rita Ali said the facility contained ethanol and “highly combustible types of chemicals”, adding that this was what had caused concern.
Residents who needed shelter during the evacuation were directed to nearby Manual Academy. A concert by country singer Jon Pardi was also cancelled because the venue was in the affected area.
Peoria is in central Illinois, about 75 miles north of Springfield and 150 miles south-west of Chicago. The BioUrja plant is beside the Illinois River in the southern part of the city.
