Suspicious Device Forces Evacuation at Peoria Ethanol Plant

At a hastily arranged press conference early Saturday, Peoria Mayor Rita Ali told reporters the city had identified a device inside the perimeter of a riverside ethanol plant that investigators believed was explosive. "A device has been identified. We know it's a credible threat. We know it's a bomb," Ali said, according to NBC News, citing remarks Ali made to NBC affiliate WEEK.

A suspicious device at an ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, triggered evacuations within a 1-mile radius, with local events forced to cancel as investigations continue, according to NBC News. Police and federal authorities said early Saturday they had found a device deemed a "credible threat" and rendered it safe, without giving details on its nature.

What happened at the BioUrja plant?

The device was discovered at the BioUrja ethanol plant, prompting the evacuation order that remained in place as of early Saturday. Peoria Police Chief Brad Dixon, speaking at the press conference, said officers and federal agents were still working through the property. "We're going to have to search the entire property," Dixon said, referring to the plant. He declined to say how many devices investigators had located or precisely where on the site they were found, telling reporters, "I don't want to get into how many we found, where we found them."

Is the area safe now?

No. Dixon told reporters the area "has not been rendered safe" and that an "exhaustive search of the facility" had not been completed as of the briefing. He said residents and anyone else within a mile of the plant "should absolutely evacuate the area," extending the evacuation zone beyond the immediate plant grounds. The scope of the ongoing search suggests authorities are not yet confident they have accounted for every potential hazard on site, even after the initial device was disabled.

Who is responding to the threat?

The response has drawn local, state and federal resources. Mayor Ali described an "all hands on deck" posture from the city, and Dixon's department was joined by state police and the FBI. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., whose district includes Peoria, met with evacuees Friday night at Peoria Manual High School, which served as a gathering point for residents displaced by the order, NBC News reported. Local events in the area were canceled as the evacuation zone remained active, according to the network's reporting, though specific event names were not detailed in the available briefing material.

What role has the FBI played?

FBI Special Agent Ryan Presley confirmed to media that federal personnel, working alongside Peoria police and Illinois state police, determined that the "suspicious package was a threat and rendered it safe." Presley's statement aligns with Dixon's account that a device had been disabled, but neither official offered further specifics on the device's construction, its intended target, or any suspect information. The FBI's involvement signals that the investigation has moved beyond a local hazardous-materials response into a case treated as a potential act of violence, though no charges or named suspects had been announced as of the Saturday morning briefing.

What to watch next

• Whether Peoria police and the FBI lift the 1-mile evacuation order once the full property search concludes.
• Any updates from Chief Dixon on how many devices were ultimately recovered or their nature.
• Statements from BioUrja on plant operations and when the facility might resume normal activity.
• Whether federal authorities name a suspect or motive as the investigation progresses.
• Rescheduling of local events and school activities disrupted by the evacuation zone.

The situation remained fluid as of early Saturday, with officials declining to set a timeline for when residents inside the evacuation radius could return home. Dixon's comments made clear that clearing the plant itself, rather than the surrounding neighborhood, was the immediate priority for investigators working the scene.