A suspected explosive device placed on the Great Seal of the Wyoming State Capitol building Tuesday was a โdeconstructed live firework munition with a fuseโ placed in a potential act of terrorism, and authorities have identified two people of interest, Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) authorities announced Wednesday.
The improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered by a passerby, believed to be a Capitol employee, who brought it inside to alert troopers, authorities said prior. Officials evacuated the Capitol and issued a shelter in place warning for the surrounding Herschler Buildings.
FBI officials are now cooperating with DCI on the investigation and have taken custody of the โsafe partsโ of the device, DCI Commander Ryan Cox told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday. Cox said Wednesday that authorities are investigating the incident as though the firework was placed there with malicious intent.
He described the device as being cylindrical with no base, and less than a foot in length. It was not colorful, had no plastic wrapping or emblems and was not capable of shooting into the air, Cox said. โThis item was not immediately recognizable, even by our bomb folks,โ he said. โThey recognize it as having a solid potential to be an explosive like an IED, but then upon further analysis, it was not capable of inflicting harm as it was initially expected.โ Cox said the explosive did not appear to be something a consumer could find at a firework store.
