'Suicide Bomber-Type’ Vest Found In Mt. Washington
Updated: 5:14 pm EDT April 2, 2009
"It looked exactly like somebody would wear in a suicide bomber-type of scene or suicide bomber- type of incident," said Sheldon Williams, of the Pittsburgh police bomb squad. The device was found outside 559 Southern Avenue late Thursday morning while workers from Pittsburgh Iron and Scrap Metal were picking up scrap metal. While loading materials into their truck, they noticed a device and called authorities.
The bomb squad arrived and, using the squad’s robot, police were able to get a closer look at the device. “It had a vest,” he said. “The pipe bombs were in a series, meaning they were all linked together.”
“There was a wire coming out of it with a plunger on the end of it,” Williams said. The bomb squad detonated one of the pipe bombs at the scene. The other three pipe bombs in the vest could not be opened and were taken to a private destination for further testing and detonation.
"It could totally be a hoax device,” said Williams. “But we would not make that determination upon arrival.” Part of the investigation will include locating the previous tenants that neighbors said kept to themselves.
“They were a younger crowd,” said neighbor Sharon Summerville. “They were into weird art work and stuff like that." Investigators said they could not determine if there was explosive residue inside the pipes. Samples were sent to the crime lab for further testing.
If even the vest is proved a hoax, police said they could still pursue charges against whoever created the look-a-like explosive device.
