TRIPwire, 09 November 2018

On 8 November 2018, the Thurston County Sheriff’s office responded to pipe bomb found at an overpass near Littlerock. The Washington State Patrol bomb squad rendered safe the alleged pipe bomb. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives also responded. No immediate information on the suspect is known yet and the investigation is ongoing.

TRIPwire, 21 August 2020

On 20 August 2020, at approximately 1849 hours local time, Spokane Police Department (SPD) officers responded to a hospital for a reported IED described as a pipe bomb after a bystander brought the device to hospital security staff. The SPD’s Explosive Disposal Unit responded and performed render safe procedures. According to explosive disposal technicians, the pipe bomb was relatively small and could have harmed someone near the device if it had functioned, but it was not a threat to the hospital building or its occupants. The investigation is ongoing.

TRIPwire, 2 September 2020

On 31 August 2020, at approximately 2118 hours local time, Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office, Hoquiam Police Department, Washington State Patrol, and Aberdeen Regional Crisis Unit (CRU) personnel responded to reports of gunshots at a Grays Harbor home during a domestic dispute. Two explosions occurred in the home during negotiations after an armed 56-year-old male barricaded himself and his wife in their home, which then caught fire. It is unclear if the blaze was ignited by the explosions, but as the fire spread, authorities heard several additional explosions from inside the house. Investigators learned that the man had explosive devices and bomb-making materials (BMM), including black powder, in the home. The investigation is ongoing.

TRIPwire, 2 January 2019

On 27 December 2018 at approximately 1600 hours local time, deputies from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office discovered an improvised explosive device (IED) and associated components during a routine traffic stop in Moses Lake. Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad technicians rendered safe the device, which they described as an improvised mortar. The 39-year-old male driver of the vehicle was arrested. The suspect told deputies that he had sufficient associated components to manufacture an IED with a diesel fuel and fertilizer main charge stolen from his former employer, a fertilizer manufacturing plant. The suspect allegedly visited his former employer more than 20 times and accessed the plant unchallenged. The suspect stole fertilizer and other minerals from his former employer. The suspect detailed multiple attack plans against the fertilizer manufacturing plant. He told investigators he considered firing his mortar at the plant from a distance in an attempt to initiate the volatile materials inside. In further discussions, he said he had considered attacking the plant with a vehicle-borne IED or mixing fertilizer available in the plant with diesel fuel on site. The suspect stated that he would have never followed through with his plans, but wanted to demonstrate the plant’s poor security practices.