Salem News-20:48 Aug 12 2006
Times Read: 722
First, a 4 alarm fire, and then 4 bombs.. shit.. and we all thought Salem was such a nice small town..
Authorities issue bomb warning
Police don't have any suspects, think four devices were attached to cars
DENNIS THOMPSON and ALAN GUSTAFSON
Statesman Journal
August 12, 2006
Police now think that four pipe bombs located across the Salem area Thursday all had been attached to cars and are warning everyone to inspect their vehicles before driving.
"If you leave your car for any length of time, take a second and glance underneath it," Salem police Lt. Bill Kohlmeyer said. "I'm not one to cry wolf. I want to make sure folks understand this is potentially very serious."
Investigators also are looking for two cars that might have odd wires hanging from them because they think that two bombs found on the ground Thursday fell off moving vehicles to which they were strapped.
"It's entirely possible that there are two cars out there with wires hanging off that shouldn't be there, drivers that are victims and don't even know they are victims," Kohlmeyer said.
Investigators from the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working with local law enforcement officials on the Salem case.
"Usually, pipe bombs are thrown or placed in a fixed location, and it is fairly uncommon to find them attached to a vehicle. It's very disconcerting. That's why we're giving it full attention," said Special Agent Julianne Marshall, a spokeswoman for the ATF in Seattle.
Police are not sure how the bombs were meant to be triggered or why they failed to explode, Kohlmeyer said.
Kohlmeyer said that two of the bombs Thursday were found attached to SUVs driven by Salem residents.
Because the four pipe bombs were built in a similar manner, police think that all of them were made by the same suspect or suspects, he said. Police don't know what connection the potential victims might share, save that they are all thought to live in Salem.
No reports of additional bombs surfaced Friday. Police urged Salem-area residents to remain vigilant anyway.
"The four pipe bombs found thus far were actual devices and quite capable of inflicting serious injury or death," read a press release issued by Salem police. "Also, these devices did not take very long for the bomber to put in place under the cars."
The first bomb found Thursday was attached to an SUV in the Salem Hospital parking lot. A female visitor yanked at wires attached to her side mirror, Kohlmeyer said, and the bomb fell to the ground and rolled out from under her car.
The other attached bomb was found Thursday night in the parking lot of the TYCO Electronics plant in Dallas, tied to the SUV of an employee from Salem.
"We suspect the device at TYCO was placed on the car here in the Salem area," Kohlmeyer said.
The other two bombs were found on the ground in traffic areas: the parking lot of the Roth's grocery store on Lancaster Drive NE and in the 6100 block of Woodside Drive SE in South Salem.
Becky Clawson, who lives on Woodside Drive, was horrified that someone was tying bombs to cars but relieved that the one found in her neighborhood had fallen from a moving vehicle.
"At least I feel like maybe our neighborhood wasn't targeted," Clawson said. "But this is Salem, Oregon. Who knew these things happen here? It's very eye-opening."
Her neighbor, Lee Morgan, said the police's theory that the Woodside Drive bomb had been attached to a car made things a little clearer.
"That makes more sense because I couldn't figure out why it was in the middle of the street," said Morgan, who was painting a truck in his garage.
State offices sent e-mails Friday informing employees about the ongoing situation and warning them to examine their cars closely.
Lori Deitz took the advice and bent down to look under her minivan, parked in one of the state's surface lots off Marion Street NE.
"The e-mail was just enough to make you aware, just to be cautious," said Deitz, a Salem resident who was headed home from her job at the state Department of Employment.
Officials declined to release photographs of the bombs Friday, citing "investigative reasons." They also declined to reveal any specifics about the ingredients used in constructing the bombs.
"I don't think we want to make any types of statements about the devices right now because that might be relevant toward finding who did it and also towards prosecution," Marshall said.
Investigators spent Friday searching for evidence on the two cars found with bombs attached and interviewing the drivers. They also were analyzing the disabled pipe bombs and reviewing security tapes from cameras at the hospital and grocery story parking lots.
Salem police and the ATF are the lead agencies, with support from the FBI, Oregon State Police, Marion County Sheriff's Office and Dallas Police Department.
Colene Domenech, the supervisor of the ATF's arson and explosives office in Portland, was in Salem on Friday to assist with the investigation.
"They actually have several cases going on, but they've got the supervisor out on the Salem one," Marshall said, referring to the federal bureau's Portland-based investigators. "We are taking this very seriously."
She said authorities wanted to alert Salem-area residents but not provoke alarm.
"We don't want to be alarmist, but if people do notice any type of suspicious device, we would ask them not to touch it and call 911. I'd say a level of alertness would be appropriate."
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