Wednesday, September 21, 2011

ATF: Car Bomb Behind Michigan Blast That Injured Father, 2 Kids

Published September 21, 2011

Associated Press



A father and two children were seriously injured when an apparent car bomb exploded in Monroe, Mich., on Tuesday.


MONROE, Mich – A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says a car bomb caused a blast in Michigan that seriously injured a man and his two sons.

Donald Dawkins said Wednesday that investigators were poring over the vehicle for clues who might have planted the device that detonated Tuesday on a street in Monroe.

Authorities have not publicly identified the victims, but Dawkins says they are a father and his two sons. He says agents have spoken with the father. All three victims are listed in serious condition at St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio. Monroe is about 35 miles southwest of Detroit and 20 miles north of Toledo.

Emergency responders rushed to the site of the Tuesday evening explosion near a highway underpass in Monroe, about 35 miles southwest of Detroit, the Monroe Police Department said in a statement. The vehicle's three occupants were taken to St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, about 20 miles south of Monroe, and they were listed in critical condition.

Television news footage showed that the vehicle had been turned into a charred shell. There didn't appear to be homes or businesses in the area along a tree-lined street where the car burned.

A man and two children were injured, Lt. Gary Werner said in an email. Police did not publicly identify the victims or say who owns the vehicle.

The investigation was in the "very early stages," police said in the statement, and additional information would be released by the department when it is available. A news conference was planned for later Wednesday, Werner said.

Monroe is a city of more than 20,000 that is one of Michigan's oldest communities. It has a historic downtown and is home to furniture maker La-Z-Boy Inc.

An FBI spokeswoman in Detroit on Wednesday referred questions to local police and the ATF. State police and ATF investigators were assisting in the investigation, Monroe police said.

State police referred questions to the local police department, and the ATF didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment left early Wednesday morning.

The ATF is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for anyone who provides information leading to an arrest.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/21/police-car-bomb-may-be-behind-michigan-blast-3-hurt/#ixzz1YbtUBUV7

Police Probe Cause of Monroe Vehicle Blast; 3 Hurt: MyFoxDETROIT.com

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