Authorities in Central Texas report that they discovered an improvised explosive device (IED) beneath a bridge Tuesday evening.
Following the discovery, the McLennan County Sheriff's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives used water to breach the exterior of the container found just outside Rosebud, a town home to about 1,400 people and located roughly 40 miles southeast of Waco.
Inside the IED, authorities found flammable liquid, a detonator and shotgun shells, according to Sheriff Parnell McNamara. He stated that the device was designed to blow shrapnel and would have been extremely dangerous had it gone off, which it was capable of doing had they not located and diffused it.
"Someone had made this to create lots of damage and harm," McNamara said.
News of sightings or explosions of IEDs are uncommon but always cause a splash within the affected community when they emerge. In March, a pipebomb exploded in an alleyway near Disneyland, shaking nearby homes and business as well as causing some damage to the immediate area. Notably, an officer revealed to media after the incident that the bomb had been nestled away in an area out of view, but it exploded with so much force that the cap left a hole in a wooden fence 40 feet away that looked like a saw had cut through it. Technicians recovered the remains of the device and took them to the lab for analysis.
In a similar case, in February, authorities responded to the scene of an explosion in West Virginia after an alleged IED detonated in the vicinity. No one saw the explosive or the explosion in that case either - only the aftermath. Once again, the remains of the device were taken to a lab for analysis.
Unlike the two aforementioned cases, the IED found beneath the bridge didn't go off. On the other hand, just like with the two prior incidents, authorities recovered the liquid found within the device and have taken it back to a lab for analysis in hopes of finding a source.
No injuries or fatalities were reported.
Police are still investigating the incident as of Wednesday morning. They have not named any suspects nor made any indication as to what a potential motive might be.
