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This product provides awareness to rail-safety professionals and first responders of recent incidents involving suspected threat actors placing suspicious devices on railway tracks. It also offers potential detection, mitigation, and response techniques for rail-safety professionals and first responders.
On 7 July 2024, at approximately 2110 hours local time, an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) dropped unspecified explosive devices at a residence in Caborca, Sonora. The explosive devices functioned, injuring three women. The State Attorney General’s Office believes the attack was orchestrated by organized crime because the owner of the residence is a known member of a criminal organization in the region.
On 9 July 2024, the Carabinieri arrested a 55-year-old man and conducted a search of his residence in Torre del Greco. Authorities discovered a cache of explosives and bomb-making material that weighed over 150 kg. The cache contained 492 IEDs, referred to as “cipolle;” 25 kg of potassium perchlorate; 40 kg of explosive powders that had been mixed with sulfur; 40 kg of packaging and assembling materials; and 10 kg of fuses. The suspect faces charges related to the illegal possession of explosive materials, receiving stolen goods, and failure to report explosive materials.
On 2 July 2024, at approximately 1700 hours local time, several juveniles emplaced and functioned an overpressure device in the bathroom of a movie theater in Lyon, leading to the evacuation of an adjoining projection room. Local firefighters, emergency services, police, and a security patrol responded to the scene of the explosion, where investigators discovered a second device that had not been functioned emplaced in the evacuated room. Investigators confirmed that both devices comprised bottles containing a mixture of sulfuric acid and aluminum.
On 5 July 2024, Pennsylvania State Police discovered 13 IEDs while searching a 46-year-old man’s vehicle during a traffic stop on I-80 East in Tobyhanna Township. State Police Bomb Squad technicians responded and removed the devices for further examination. No further device-related details were provided. The suspect was arrested under a DUI and weapons-related charges.
On 27 June 2024, at approximately 0419 hours local time, the Coos Bay Police Department (CBPD) received a report of an explosion and triggered alarm at a gunsmith workshop in the 130 block of North Wasson Street. Responding CBPD officers discovered the front glass window of the business had been shattered. Surveillance footage showed a man approach the business, emplace an unspecified explosive device on the windowsill, light the device, and flee before the device functioned. No further device-related details have been released. An investigation is ongoing.
On 4 July 2024, at approximately 0200 hours local time, a Beaverton Police Department officer’s patrol vehicle was damaged by an IED along 158th Avenue. The officer reported witnessing a bright flash and hearing a loud bang before the passenger window shattered. The officer sustained minor injuries, and the passenger side door sustained minor damage. No additional details regarding the explosive device have been released. The investigation is ongoing.
On 4 July 2024, at approximately 2245 hours local time, the Brookfield Police Department (BPD) received several reports of an explosion on the 7900 Block of Bud Street in Masury. The following morning, police received additional reports of broken windows. According to the BPD, they have not yet determined the cause of the blast, but the extent of the damages likely indicates a modified pyrotechnic device or IED. At least six homes were damaged. The investigation is ongoing.
On 24 June 2024, Greece Police Department officers and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad technicians opened an investigation into the use of IEDs on Lida Lane in Greece after receiving complaints and information about videos of the incident circulating online. Investigators determined that on 22 June, at around 2000 hours local time, two suspects functioned IEDs, causing over $6,200 of damages to a storm drain. One of the devices was described as affixed to a plastic cat litter container before functioning. No further explosives-related details were released.
In early April 2024, the Winslow Township Police Department (WTPD) opened an investigation in the area of Fleming Pike after residents reported hearing loud explosions near a railroad bridge. Police surveillance revealed that a 71-year-old male suspect allegedly functioned over 25 explosive devices while driving down Fleming Pike. WTPD, the Camden County Sheriff’s Department, and the ATF responded to the suspect’s residence on 1 July and discovered 118 M-class explosive devices, thousands of aerial-type pyrotechnics, six 30-round magazines, and one 60-round magazine.