01.18.11

Domestic terrorism averted

Posted in Extremism at 6:10 pm by George Smith

Reuters:

The FBI is asking the public for help in the investigation of an unexploded backpack bomb left along the parade route of a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration in Spokane, Washington, the agency said on Tuesday.

The unattended Swiss Army-brand backpack, with wires visible, was discovered on a downtown bench by three city workers who notified police of the device about 30 minutes before the parade was scheduled to begin.

The parade, attended by about 1,500 people, was quickly rerouted while city’s bomb disposal unit was summoned and safely “neutralized the device,” the FBI said.

FBI agent Frank Harrill described the “improvised explosive device” as having a “very lethal design” …

No public safety threat currently, it is said.

From the Spokane newspaper:

Frank Harrill, special agent in the charge of the Spokane FBI office, would not discuss what specifically made the bomb so dangerous but said the investigation has become a top priority.

“It definitely was, by all early analysis, a viable device that was very lethal and had the potential to inflict multiple casualties,??? Harrill said. “Clearly, the timing and placement of a device _ secreted in a backpack _ with the Martin Luther King parade is not coincidental. We are doing everything humanly possible to identify the individuals or individual who constructed and placed this device.???

Ivan Bush, who has helped organize the celebration march in Spokane for more than 20 years said news of the backpack’s potential was “just painful to see and hear.???

“Man, that’s a sad testament,??? said Bush …

US white extremist(s)? Any takers?

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