TRIPwire, 26 January 2018, 0730

On 25 January 2018 at approximately 1100 hours local time, Amtrak officials notified the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) of a possible improvised explosive device (IED) near a downtown New Orleans Amtrak station. According to NOPD, the IED appeared to be a homemade firework mortar wrapped in tin foil. A NOPD K-9 unit responded and confirmed the presence of explosives. The NOPD encased the item in heavy gel blocks and rendered safe the device in a nearby national chain hardware store’s parking lot. No one was injured. The investigation is ongoing.