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Spokane Bomb: Bomb Difused During Martin Luther King Jr. Parade

by NowPublic Staff | January 18, 2011 at 04:09 pm

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Terrorism In Spokane? Bomb In Spokane Difused During Martin Luther King Jr. Parade | Bomb Found In Backpack At North Washington Street and West Main Avenue

A potentially deadly incident was averted by some quick thinking bystanders and the FBI in Spokane. The Spokane Review is reporting a bomb was difused after it was discovered in backpack during the Martin Luther Jr. Day Parade at the intersection of North Washington Street and West Main Avenue.

The bomb was found on a park bench by a city employee before the parade actually started and the FBI bomb disposal unit successfully disabled the explosive device.

Frank Harrill, special agent in the charge of the Spokane FBI office, wouldn't discuss what specifically made the bomb so dangerous. But he said the investigation has become a top priority.

"It definitely was, by all early analysis, a viable device that was very lethal and had the potential to inflict multiple casualties," Harrill told The Spokesman-Review.

Harrill said the timing and placement of the device wasn't coincidental.

"I think the link to the Martin Luther King celebration and march is inescapable," he said. "At that point, it falls directly in the realm and sphere of domestic terrorism. Clearly, there was some political or social agenda here."

The news of the Spokane Bomb has sparked concern in the community, especially considering the "terrorist" targets were citizens marching during the MLK Jr. Parade.

Ivan Bush, who has helped organize the celebration march in Spokane for more than 20 years said news of the backpack’s potential was “just painful to see and hear.”

“Man, that’s a sad testament,” said Bush, who works in human resources for Spokane Public Schools. “Here we are in the 21st century and these types of things are still happening. It just hurts.”

Among the clues the FBI will rely on for its domestic terrorism investigation are two t-shirts found in the backpack.

One reads “Stevens County Relay For Life June 25th-26th 2010” and another shirt reads “Treasure Island Spring 2009.” The FBI is working with other federal agencies and virtually all local police agencies with the investigation as part of the Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force.