04/25/2002

By TERESA BELL and DOUG IRVING, kgw.com

A convincing pipe-bomb hoax shut down several blocks near the Oregon Capitol on Thursday as police called in a bomb-handling robot and warned office workers to stay back from windows.

Police characterized the small device as a fake hours after a bomb squad neutralized it. They had earlier warned that it contained enough explosive force to blow out nearby windows.

A maintenance worker found the pipe hidden in the bushes outside of the Commerce Building.

A bomb-disposal robot approaches the device. (KGW Photo)

None of the offices were evacuated, but employees told kgw.com that police warned them to stay away from windows.

The device consisted of a six-inch-long plumber’s pipe that police at first thought was packed with explosive black powder. It had metal caps on both ends, one of which had been drilled to allow a fuse. Lt. Dale Rutledge of the Oregon State Police had said a pipe bomb that size would have blown out windows and could have killed people.

A bomb squad detonated the device. (KGW Sky8 Photo)

Police received no phone threats and have found no written warnings about a bomb, Rutledge said. They have no suspects and little physical evidence, he said.

Police closed parts of 12th and State streets as they worked to defuse the bomb threat. They reopened both roads at around 12:30 p.m.