ATF explosives specialists and state police have responded, while authorities had not issued an all-clear by early Saturday. A bomb threat at an ethanol plant in Peoria, Illinois, triggered a large-scale evacuation on Friday night after authorities confirmed that at least one explosive device had been found at the facility. Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said officials knew the device was a bomb but could not establish whether other devices were present.The Peoria Police Department announced the threat at BioUrja Renewables, located at 1 Edmund Street, shortly after 7 pm local time on Friday, November 13. Residents and businesses within a one-mile radius were directed to evacuate immediately and remain away until further notice. The evacuation was initially described as a precaution while officers searched the facility to determine whether the threat was credible. However, the situation escalated after Ali confirmed during a press conference that a device had been located. "We know it's a bomb. We know it's a credible threat," the mayor said, adding that officials were still trying to determine whether there were additional devices at the site. Special agents and certified explosives specialists from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Division responded to the facility. Illinois State Police also assisted local authorities in managing the situation. The device may have been deactivated, according to reports by 25 News Now, although officials had not confirmed this on the record by early Saturday. No all-clear had been issued at that stage. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he was monitoring the developments, with state police supporting the response. The city of East Peoria also said evacuations would remain in place and promised a further update no later than 9 am CST on Saturday, November 14. The facility is operated by BioUrja Renewables and is widely known locally as the former ADM plant. Archer Daniels Midland agreed to sell the Peoria dry mill facility to BioUrja Group, a Houston-based energy and agricultural commodity trading company, in 2021. The plant is located on Peoria's riverfront and specialises in beverage-grade and highly distilled industrial alcohol. ADM had previously described the facility as an ethanol complex that had shifted its focus towards higher-grade industrial and beverage alcohol, alongside export fuel. BioUrja Group operates across several commodity-related businesses, including biofuels, grain, animal feed, electric power trading and fuel terminals. Its website describes BioUrja Renewables as an alcohol distillation business supplying industrial and beverage alcohol. The facility's industrial operations have drawn attention because of the scale of the evacuation, but police had not disclosed why the plant was specifically named in the threat. Authorities had not confirmed whether the device had been rendered safe or whether additional explosives were present. It was also unclear when residents and businesses within the evacuation zone would be allowed to return. For now, the one-mile evacuation remains in place as police and explosives specialists continue their response. Yuvraj Tyagi is a Senior Copy Editor, specializing in security, national, international and defense affairs. With extensive experience covering the Ka... View More