A bomb was left at an ethanol plant on the Illinois River. Peoria’s families are home, but the FBI still does not know who put it there
Police in Peoria, Illinois, have lifted a one-mile evacuation around the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant after a search found no further explosives, a day after a bomb was found at the site and made safe. No one has been arrested or hurt, and the FBI says it is working to identify the person responsible.
Live updates
- About 3am AWST Sun 15 NovLatest
Peoria police lift the one-mile evacuation after the search finds no further explosives. Roads reopen and residents can return home. No arrests, no injuries.
- Sat 14 Nov
The FBI says it will work to identify the person responsible. Police chief Brad Dixon says the incident is not being treated as a hoax.
- About 11.12am AWST Sat 14 Nov
Bomb technicians render the device safe. Mayor Rita Ali later confirms it was a bomb.
- About 9am AWST Sat 14 Nov
Officials order everyone within one mile of the plant, in Peoria and East Peoria, to leave. Shelters open.
- 3.08am AWST Sat 14 Nov
BioUrja Renewables notifies Peoria police of a bomb threat at its ethanol plant.
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Three things to know
- Police say this was not a hoax: the plant reported a threat on Friday afternoon, a device was found, and bomb technicians made it safe that night.
- The fear was what sits inside the plant. The city's mayor said ethanol and highly combustible chemicals were what alarmed officials, and a one-mile ring across Peoria and East Peoria was cleared.
- The search is over, the investigation is not. The FBI, the ATF and local police are hunting for whoever left the device, and no motive has been given.
Residents of Peoria and East Peoria in central Illinois have been allowed home after police lifted an evacuation around an ethanol plant where a bomb was found on Friday.
Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon announced shortly after 1pm local time on Saturday (about 3am AWST Sunday) that a search by local, state and federal agencies had found “no other items of concern” at the BioUrja Renewables plant in South Peoria, and that roads would reopen. No injuries have been reported and no one has been arrested.
What happened?
The plant told police of a bomb threat at 1.08pm on Friday 13 November (3.08am Saturday AWST). A device was found at the site, and bomb technicians had rendered it safe by 9.12pm that night.
Shortly after 7pm on Friday, officials ordered everyone within a one-mile radius of the plant to leave. The zone crossed the Illinois River into neighbouring East Peoria. Estimates of how many people were moved ranged from hundreds to more than 5,000 residents and workers. Shelters opened at Manual Academy in Peoria and the EastSide Centre in East Peoria; between 60 and 80 people stayed overnight at the school, where the Red Cross set up beds, and East Peoria officials said no one used theirs.
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali confirmed on Friday night that the device was a bomb.
Was it real?
Police have been careful with their words but clear on the point that matters. “We’re not considering this a hoax,” Chief Dixon said. He declined to describe the device, saying calling it a bomb is part of a law enforcement process that is still under way.
That distinction is worth noting. Bomb threats and suspicious packages are common in the United States, and most turn out not to be credible. Earlier this month, bomb threats against flights in Europe were declared malicious hoaxes. In Peoria, a device was physically found and had to be made safe.
Why the evacuation was so wide
Mayor Ali said the plant handles ethanol and highly combustible chemicals, and that was what worried the city most. Fuel ethanol burns readily and its vapour can ignite, so officials treated the site as a risk to the surrounding neighbourhoods, not only to the plant.
The search itself was large. Chief Dixon said the plant covers an area equal to about 44 and a half football fields. The FBI, the ATF, the US Coast Guard and the Peoria Fire Department joined local police.
BioUrja Renewables runs the plant on the banks of the Illinois River and bought it in 2021. Peoria is a city of about 110,000 people, roughly 240 kilometres southwest of Chicago.
Who is investigating?
The FBI’s Springfield field office is leading the federal side. Ryan Presley, the special agent in charge, declined to give details but said: “We will work tirelessly to identify the individual responsible and bring them to justice.”
Police have described an extensive criminal investigation and say they will release updates as it moves. No one has been named, and no motive has been suggested by any official.
VNN will update this story as more is confirmed.
How we got here
The key moments that brought this story into focus. Open any moment for detail.
2021BioUrja buys the plant
BioUrja Renewables acquires the ethanol plant on the Illinois River in Peoria.
13 November 2026Threat and device
The plant reports a bomb threat in the afternoon; a device is found and made safe that night, and a one-mile evacuation is ordered.
14 November 2026Evacuation lifted
A multi-agency search finds no other explosives and residents return; the FBI-led investigation continues.
What happens next
Peoria police and the FBI say the criminal investigation is continuing and updates will be released as it progresses. Officials have not said whether they have a suspect, what the device was, or how it reached the site. VNN will report any arrest or charge.
Sources
- VNN
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