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Bomb found at BioUrja ethanol plant in Peoria forces evacuations as FBI investigates

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Summary

  • A bomb was found November 13, 2026 at the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, after the plant received a bomb threat.
  • Residents within a one-mile radius, including parts of neighboring East Peoria, were ordered to evacuate and remained under notice Saturday morning.
  • Police said the device was rendered safe Friday night; officials continued searching the plant for other bombs and evidence.
  • No arrests have been made and no injuries reported; authorities do not know whether other devices remain.
  • Shelters were opened for displaced residents, and officials cited the plant's ethanol and highly combustible chemicals as a concern.
  • The FBI is investigating the threat, which police called credible.

Reactions

  • Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said the threat was credible and the blast radius needed to be taken seriously, asking the public for patience.
  • Mayor Rita Ali said the plant's ethanol and highly combustible chemicals alarmed officials, calling it a real crisis situation.
  • FBI Special Agent Ryan Pressley said the FBI would work tirelessly to identify whoever was responsible and bring them to justice.
  • Governor JB Pritzker said he was monitoring the threat and directed the Illinois State Police to coordinate with local authorities; Pritzker and Representative Darin LaHood urged residents to heed evacuation orders.
  • State Senator Dave Koehler said at a news conference that the threat was not a hoax and was serious.
  • Country singer Jon Pardi canceled his Peoria concert inside the evacuation area, citing an active local safety concern.

Timeline newest first

  1. As of Saturday morning, November 14, all residents within a one-mile radius of the BioUrja Renewables facility in Peoria remained under evacuation while officials scoured the plant for other bombs and evidence, with no arrests made and no injuries reported.
  2. Officials said the bomb found November 13, 2026 near the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant in Peoria had been rendered safe, and shelters were set up for displaced residents.
  3. FBI Special Agent Ryan Pressley said the FBI was investigating the bomb found at the BioUrja Renewables facility in Peoria but declined to provide further details.
  4. At about 7:05 p.m. Friday, Peoria police announced officers were actively investigating a reported bomb threat at BioUrja Renewables and urged anyone within a one-mile radius, extending into East Peoria, to evacuate immediately.
  5. Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon said early Saturday that bomb technicians had rendered the object found at BioUrja Renewables safe, and he asked for the public's patience as investigators searched the facility for other explosive devices.
  6. Peoria police said a suspicious package was found near the BioUrja ethanol plant at approximately 2 p.m. Friday and was deemed a credible threat hours later; Chief Brad Dixon said the package was rendered safe at 9:12 p.m. while searches for other devices continued.
  7. FBI Special Agent Ryan Presley said the FBI deployed personnel to work alongside the Peoria Police and Fire Departments, the Peoria County Sheriff's Department, the Illinois Secretary of State's Office, and the Illinois State Police.
  8. Mayor Rita Ali said the search for additional explosives at the BioUrja plant paused overnight because it was too dark and would resume at sunrise; she said a secondary communication claimed more devices existed, and no additional bombs had been located.
  9. Mayor Rita Ali said the search began after electronic communication claimed there was a bomb, and a one-mile radius around the BioUrja plant, on both sides of the Illinois River, was evacuated Friday night.

Sources newest first

  • Bomb found near ethanol plant in Peoria forces evacuations as authorities investigatesuntimes.com· 6h

    A bomb found Friday at the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, prompted evacuations of residents within a 1-mile radius while officials searched for other devices; police say it has been rendered safe, with no arrests or injuries reported. The FBI is investigating, and Mayor Rita Ali says the plant's ethanol and highly combustible chemicals alarmed officials.

  • Bomb found near ethanol plant in central Illinois forces evacuations as authorities investigateapnews.com· 7h

    A bomb found near the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, on November 13, 2026, prompted evacuations, with residents within a 1-mile radius still under notice the next morning as officials scoured the site. Authorities said the bomb was rendered safe, with no arrests or injuries reported, while the FBI investigates and Peoria's mayor and police chief cite the plant's combustible chemicals and the blast radius.

  • Bomb found at Illinois ethanol plant, prompting evacuationstheguardian.com· 7h

    The Guardian reports that residents of Peoria, Illinois, and parts of neighboring East Peoria were evacuated Friday after authorities found a bomb at the BioUrja Renewables ethanol plant, which police said bomb technicians rendered safe early Saturday. Mayor Rita Ali said it was "a real thing" and that officials did not know whether other devices remained.

  • Bomb found at industrial plant in Peoria, Illinois; rendered safe by policecbsnews.com· 8h

    CBS News reports that a suspicious package deemed a credible threat near the BioUrja plant in Peoria, Illinois, prompted an evacuation of residents within a one-mile radius and was rendered safe by police Friday night. Chief Brad Dixon said searches continued, Jon Pardi canceled his concert, and the FBI is investigating.

  • Bomb Found at Ethanol Plant in Peoria, Ill., Mayor Saysnytimes.com· 15h

    A New York Times article reports that Peoria, Ill., officials found a bomb at the BioUrja ethanol plant after a Friday threat, evacuating a one-mile radius along both sides of the Illinois River. Police chief Brad Dixon said technicians rendered the device safe, and Mayor Rita Ali said the search for additional explosives paused overnight and would resume at sunrise, with no injuries reported.

Background newest first

  • U.S. investigates suspected ‘unauthorized drone activity’ at U.K. air basewashingtonpost.com· 2h

    The Washington Post's live updates page tracks several developing stories: U.S. and U.K. forces investigating suspected unauthorized drone activity over RAF Lakenheath, a credible bomb found at an ethanol facility in Peoria, Illinois, a nationwide ground stop that halted U.S. flights, Canada's new trade deals with ASEAN and the Philippines, and a judge's inquiry into Trump administration lawyers over the East Potomac Golf Links case. It also features a Life Hax episode in which Carolyn Hax and Shane O'Neill advise a dog owner caught between her parents and her in-laws.

  • NEWS: Trump Absent as Ground Stop Impacts Millions, Americans are Furious—US loses Measles Elimination Status, Bomb in Illinoissubstack.com· 5h

    Aaron Parnas's news roundup reports that every U.S. departing flight was grounded for over four hours Friday — only the third such national stop — after a malfunction officials trace to overloaded routers at Chicago Midway, leaving thousands of flights delayed or canceled, and that the United States has lost its measles elimination status for the first time in more than 25 years amid an outbreak centered in Pennsylvania, where 1,542 cases and seven deaths are recorded. It also reports a credible bomb threat at a Peoria, Illinois, ethanol plant forced more than 5,000 people from their homes, and Parnas says President Trump was nowhere to be found during the ground stop.