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Massachusetts: Hoax Device Discovered During Drug Investigation, 3 Arrested

Submitted by emcjohnson on Wed, 02/12/2025 - 09:52

On 18 January 2025, at approximately 1830 hours local time, Longmeadow Police Department officers, Massachusetts State Police troopers, and members of the DEA conducted a search of a residence on the 80th block of South Avenue in Longmeadow as part of an investigation for alleged drug activity. Officers removed three occupants from the home after learning they were in possession of a device. During the search, officers discovered an item that resembled an incendiary device.

Kentucky: Smoke Grenade Discovered in Suspect’s Possession, 1 Arrested

Submitted by emcjohnson on Wed, 02/12/2025 - 09:48

On 17 January 2025, Hardin County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded following reports of an armed suspect on Tabbs Hollow Road in Summit. At the scene, deputies encountered a male suspect, armed with a firearm and a knife, reportedly making threats that he had a live grenade and had pulled the pin. Deputies noted that the suspect appeared to be under the influence of drugs and exhibited mental health issues, leading to an attempt to convince the suspect to accept mental health support.

Italy: Large Amount of Pyrotechnics Found in Home, 2 Arrested

Submitted by emcjohnson on Tue, 02/11/2025 - 19:08

On 20 December 2024, the Carabinieri of the operational section of Castellammare di Stabia found a large amount of pyrotechnics inside a garage in a home in Gragnano. The material included 28 onions, 204 “wolves,” a “rendino,” and 1,170 cylinders. Bomb disposal technicians from the provincial command of Naples removed the materials from the scene. Two suspects, a 55-year-old man and 23-year-old man, were arrested on charges of illegal possession of explosive material.

Italy: Illegal Pyrotechnic Devices and IEDs Found in Home

Submitted by emcjohnson on Tue, 02/11/2025 - 19:07

On 19 December 2024, media reporting indicated that the Galatina State Police Station and Southern Puglia Crime Prevention Department found 300 IEDs, described as “paper bombs,” and over 20 kg [~44 pounds] of pyrotechnic devices in a house in Noha di Galatina. The Brindisi Border Police Bomb Squad responded to assist and examined the materials, which were seized and removed. No further information has been released.

Australia: IED and BMM Found in Home, 2 Arrested

Submitted by emcjohnson on Tue, 02/11/2025 - 19:06

On 19 December 2024, at approximately 1200 hours local time, South Australia Police located an IED and numerous explosive precursor chemicals, including a bag labeled “potassium nitrogen,” inside a home in Henley Beach South. Two suspects, a 48-year-old man and a 29-year-old man, were arrested and charged with manufacturing explosives.

Source story here.

Nigeria: IED Functioned at School, 2 Killed and 2 Injured

Submitted by emcjohnson on Tue, 02/11/2025 - 19:00

On 6 January 2025, at approximately 1100 hours local time, Federal Capital Territory Police Command’s bomb squad and other local authorities responded after an IED functioned on the veranda of an Islamic school in a village near Abuja. The IED functioned as it was being tampered with, killing two of the three suspects who brought the IED to the school and injuring the third. A fourth individual was also injured in the explosion. Bomb squad technicians recovered remnants of the IED from the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

Moldova: IED Discovered in Package at Airport

Submitted by emcjohnson on Tue, 02/11/2025 - 18:57

On 7 January 2025, at approximately 1812 hours local time, General Inspectorate of Border Police officers flagged a suspicious package during routine postal inspections and discovered an IED hidden inside a remote-controlled toy car at the Chișinău International Airport. The package reportedly originated from Ukraine and was bound for Tbilisi, Georgia. Authorities isolated the package and called in bomb disposal experts from the BOMBTEH unit, who successfully rendered safe the IED. The investigation is ongoing.

Mexico: Buried IED Functioned During Military Patrol, 2 Killed

Submitted by emcjohnson on Tue, 02/11/2025 - 18:56

On 17 December 2024, a buried IED, described as an improvised landmine, functioned during a patrol conducted by Mexican military members in an unspecified location in Buenavista in Michoacan state, killing an army sergeant and a national guard member. Military authorities responded to the incident and reportedly attributed the explosion to gang activity in the area. No additional details have been released. Several other IEDs in the area were rendered safe. The investigation is ongoing.

Virginia: Over 150 IEDs, HME, and BMM Seized at Property, 1 Arrested

Submitted by emcjohnson on Tue, 02/11/2025 - 18:49

On 17 December 2024, multiple law enforcement agencies, bomb technicians, and federal investigators, including the FBI, searched a 20-acre farm on Foursquare Road in Isle of Wight County and seized more than 150 pipe bombs and other IEDs, homemade explosives (HME), and BMM. The majority of the finished IEDs, as well as several training aids, were discovered in a detached garage, and some of which had been inserted into a wearable vest.

Nevada: VBIED Functioned Outside Trump-Owned Hotel, 1 Killed and 7 Injured

Submitted by emcjohnson on Tue, 02/11/2025 - 18:42

On 1 Jan 2025, at approximately 0840 hours local time, a vehicle-borne IED (VBIED), described as an electric pickup truck containing pyrotechnic devices, gasoline, and camping fuel, functioned outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, injuring seven people. The initial explosion was a fuel-air deflagration, and additional explosions were caused by 20 gallons of gasoline poured over at least 60.2 pounds of explosives. According to officials, the 37-year-old male driver died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the blast.