Suspicious Package Causes Evacuation Of Federal Building (Harrisburg, PA)

WGAL Channel 8, via Yahoo! News ^ | 7/13/2004 | n/a

[Pyro7480]

Suspicious Package Causes Evacuation Of Federal Building

A bomb squad exploded a suspicious object found behind the federal building in Harrisburg Tuesday morning.

The federal building in Harrisburg was evacuated after a suspicious Thermos was found behind the building around 8:30 a.m. during a routine security sweep.

Police in Harrisburg closed streets and sidewalks in the area.

The Penn State Bomb Disposal Squad exploded the device and is now doing testing on it to figure out if it actually was an active explosive device.

"They believe, at this time, that it was an active explosive device, but they do not know what it was made of, what the ingredients were," city spokesman Randy King said.

King said the FBI (news - web sites) is heading the investigation, "because of its potential terrorism link."

Bomb dogs are sweeping the building to make sure it is safe. About 350 people who were evacuated have not yet been allowed to return to the building.

[abner]

Reg- maybe you can show us what a 'suspicious Thermos bottle' looks like.

LOL!

[Not A Snowbird]

Too much tabasco?

BTW... your screen name is perfect for this thread.

[Betis70]

I dunno, with anthrax and such airborne WMD, is blowing up such a device all that wise? Perhaps it was in a very controlled environment and my fears are unfounded.

[Pyro7480]

BTW... your screen name is perfect for this thread.

LOL! I was a bit of a pyro in the past, but I now think of it standing for "pyrotechnics" (just a fancy word for fireworks), since I have an Independence Day birthday (hence the 7-4-80)

[Tallguy]

Harrisburg local radio has had sketchy reports of this all day, but never seemed to make anything very clear.

That's our crack local news media for you. They never met a local news story that they couldn't mis-report. They should stick to warehouse fires and baby puppies.

[Safetgiver]

The force of those water cannons make it look like it blowed up real good.

[DannyTN]

" bomb squad exploded a suspicious object "

How long after an object explodes does it take for it to stop being "suspicious" and actually become dangerous?

[1rudeboy]

One of these days this country is going to decide that we're better off without Muslims, than to deal with this BS constantly.

Naturally, if this country decided to get rid of all gun-owners, because of all the "alleged" mayhem they cause, you'd be up in arms [pun intended].

[thoughtomator]

Guns don't dream of wiping the earth clean of everyone who's not a gun.

[HonorInPa]

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Bomb scare: authorities investigate object near federal building
Authorities are investigating whether a suspicious object found this morning near the Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Harrisburg was an explosive device. The device blew up loudly as a bomb disposal squad attempted to destroy it, authorities said. Officials would not say whether the object detonated on its own or as a result of the bomb squad’s effort. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is working with local police.

Security guards found the object on Court Street at about 8:30 a.m., prompting the evacuation of the Federal Building and closing some adjacent streets. Early this afternoon, the Federal Building’s 350 employees were allowed to return. Portions of Locust and Walnut streets were closed, but Front, Second and Third streets remained open.

[Grammy]

Good point!

[Chad Fairbanks]

Guns don't dream of wiping the earth clean of everyone who's not a gun.

Mine does. Apparently the self-esteem class I sent it to worked well... too well, it seems.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I wonder if this was a test run by our Anarcho-commie 'friends" who will be 'protesting' at the RNC Convention in NYC later this year?

[Polycarp IV]

Just another isloated incident...

TheWGALChannel.com

Rental Car Sets Off TMI Explosive Detector

POSTED: 12:37 PM EDT July 13, 2004
UPDATED: 12:56 PM EDT July 13, 2004

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. -- A rare security incident happened at the gates of Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Tuesday morning.

Just after 9 a.m., an employee driving a rented car entered the north gates, caused the explosive detector to sound.

TMI security searched the car, then the state police were called in, and they searched the car as well.

Finally, Harrisburg bomb disposal authorities swept the car a third time.

At 10 a.m., the car was declared safe and clear, but as a precautionary measure, the rental car company responsible for the car came and took it away.

"It does happen, but it's very rare," said Ralph DeSantis, with TMI. "Sometime we get some false positives. For example, fertilizer farmers use in their field, if that gets on a vehicle, we would be able to detect that. That's how sensitive our equipment is."

There is no indication as to why the explosive detector sounded.

Every car that enters TMI, including employee's, is searched.

[Not A Snowbird]

You share a birthday with my stepdaughter, who turned 15 last weekend. She was certainly born on the right day.

[JamesWilson]

According to the WJNO report, when they denotated the thermos, the force was greater than expected, so it probably had some kind of explosive in it.

I just got back from there (had lunch next door at the Irish Pub). Some friends said that the exposion was one of the loudest they've ever heard. Scared the you know what out of them.

[Palladin]

Meth labs also use fertilizer (anhydrous ammonia). No doubt some meth dealers used the loaner to transport their materials to a local motel.

Near us in Central Pa., two guys set up a meth lab at a Super Eight and set the whole place on fire.

FWIW.

[Polycarp IV]

Some friends said that the exposion was one of the loudest they've ever heard.

How do they know it wasn't laced with chem or bio WMD??? They blew it up right in the middle of Harrisburg? Wouldn't that be EXACTLY what the terrorists were planning to do?

[oceanview]

well, if it was chem - we'd know by now. bio is another story, but their are better ways to disperse anthrax rather then having it blown up with a thermos.

[ArGee]

so it probably had some kind of explosive in it.

Like my chili.

Shalom.