Blacksburg Police, Feds Investigating IED Explosion - FOX 21/27 WFXR Roanoke/WWCW Lynchburg News, Weather

Blacksburg Police, Feds Investigating IED Explosion

BLACKSBURG, VA --

5:04 p.m.

By Ken Heineck, reporter

A red Chevrolet Blazer was towed away from a home on Harrell Street in Blacksburg. The vehicle appears to be the focus of an investigation after police say an improvised explosive device, or I.E.D., was detonated early Wednesday morning causing damage to the SUV.

The Associated Press is reporting it was a pipe bomb. Neighbors say whatever it was woke them up.

"I thought it was thunder but I woke up and it was still ringing outside my window, and I heard sirens a few minutes later," said Daniel Shull.

The ATF says they are treating the incident as a criminal investigation and do not believe there are any ties to terrorism. Although the SUV was littered with Virginia Tech stickers and parked blocks from campus, authorities say in no way was the university a target.

Police are not yet telling us about the size of the explosive device, whether it was a small explosive or something much larger. They do not yet have a motive and no suspects were immediately identified. Bomb sniffing dogs helped sweep the area and did not find any other devices

"We searched this entire area. This block, this block, all the way up to Main Street," said Chief Kim Crannis with the Blacksburg Police Department.

Until investigators find the person responsible, the overnight explosion has put some in the community on alert.

1:39 p.m.

From Ken Heineck, reporter in the field

The red Chevy SUV that investigators had been looking at has been towed away with a tarp covering it.

Investigators believe the SUV was the vehicle targeted.

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11:45 a.m.

By News Staff

The Associated Press quotes an ATF special agent as saying an SUV "appears to have been targeted," and that "the public needs to understand that this has nothing to do with Virginia Tech."

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11:23 a.m.

From Erin Barnett, reporter in field

Investigators are checking out a red Chevrolet Blazer SUV. They've popped open the hood, and are looking at the front end.

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10:45 a.m.

Police recently briefed the media, but aren't saying a lot about their investigation into this morning's explosion. They tell us they've swept the scene.

Fortunately, no one was hurt by the blast.

A neighbor we spoke to says the early morning explosion woke him up.

We're still on the scene, and will bring you more updates as we get them.

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8:46 a.m.

By Tim Ciesco, reporter

The Blacksburg Police Department is investigating an early morning explosion.

Officers responded to the 400 block of Harrell Street at around 2:50 a.m. Wednesday morning after a citizen called 911 and reported hearing either a gunshot or explosion in the area.

After an initial investigation, officials say they were able to determine that an improvised explosive device blew up near several parked vehicles, badly damaging one of them.

Virginia State Police, the FBI, and ATF agents are assisting Blacksburg Police with the investigation.