BIXBY, Okla. (AP) - The Latest on a pipe bomb explosion that damaged an Air Force recruiting station in northeast Oklahoma (all times local):
4:25 p.m.
The FBI says agents investigating a pipe bomb explosion outside an Air Force recruiting station in Oklahoma now have a person of interest in custody.
FBI agent Jessi Rice said Tuesday the person is being questioned, but that she could not give that person’s name. Rice said investigators found the person at a Tulsa-area apartment complex.
Earlier Tuesday, federal authorities walked back an assertion that the explosion in the Tulsa suburb of Bixby was being investigated as a possible act of domestic terrorism. They said they were unsure of a motive, but that the blast could be the work of a disgruntled employee or a prank.
Rice said the final determination on whether to label the act as terrorism rests with the FBI. It is currently a criminal investigation into the use of an explosive device.
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1:35 p.m.
The FBI says a pipe bomb explosion that damaged an Air Force recruiting station in northeast Oklahoma is not being called an act of domestic terrorism.
FBI agent Jessi Rice said Tuesday that the blast in the Tulsa suburb of Bixby is not being called terrorism because investigators have not determined a motive and have not identified a suspect.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had said earlier that agents were treating the late Monday explosion as a possible act of domestic terrorism out of “an abundance of caution,” because of its proximity to the recruiting office.
Rice says the final determination on whether to label the act as terrorism rests with the FBI and that it is currently a criminal investigation into the use of an explosive device.
Rice says agents are still seeking video in the area for possible clues.
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12 p.m.
A business owner whose store is close to an Oklahoma Air Force recruiting station that was damaged in a late-night explosion says he suspects it was an attack fueled by anger.
Dale Barnett, the co-owner of Barnett Music Exchange, just four doors from the office in the Tulsa suburb of Bixby, says he just opened the musical instrument store on Monday. The explosion happened Monday night. Barnett says he suspects “some disgruntled guy” is responsible.
Federal authorities said Tuesday that agents are treating the explosion as a possible act of domestic terrorism out of “an abundance of caution,” but that it could have been an accident or prank.
Workers with a glass company arrived late Tuesday morning and began to replace broken windows and a blown-out front door at the recruiting office.
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8:20 a.m.
Federal authorities are searching for surveillance video of a commercial area that houses an Oklahoma Air Force recruiting center where an explosive device was set off.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokeswoman Meredith Davis says agents believe there must be video cameras at the suburban Tulsa site, which is also home to a multiplex theater and other businesses.
She says agents are treating the explosion late Monday as a possible act of domestic terrorism out of “an abundance of caution,” because of its proximity to the recruiting office.
Police say the blast was reported around 10:30 p.m. Monday in Bixby, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Tulsa.
The recruiting office was closed at the time and no one was injured. The extent of the damage is not yet known.
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1:30 a.m.
Federal authorities have confirmed an explosive device was set off outside an Air Force recruiting center near Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Bixby police say the blast was reported around 10:30 p.m. Monday. Bixby is about 15 miles (24.1 kilometers) south of Tulsa.
FBI agent Jessi Rice says the recruiting office was closed at the time of the explosion and no one was injured. The extent of the damage is not yet known.
Investigators with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are at the scene. Rice says the Tulsa police bomb squad was the first to respond.
No arrests have been made. ATF agent Meredith Davis says the blast is being investigated as a possible act of domestic terrorism.
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