Florida police have confirmed two improvised explosive devices were detonated at a shopping mall in Lake Wales, Fla., late Sunday, but no one was injured in the attempted attack.
Lake Wales Police Deputy Chief Troy Schulze said law enforcement responded to a smoke alarm call at Eagle Ridge Mall at 5:22 p.m. Sunday. Once at the mall, officers found smoke billowing out of a service hallway next to JCPenney where the two IEDs had been planted.
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“It’s very concerning when you think about it,” Schulze told WFLA. “People here shopping, just enjoying a Sunday evening with their family and literally — boom. That somebody would do that.”
An estimated 100 people were at the shopping center at the time of the attack.
The devices were about 10 feet apart and were comprised of a flare inside a PVC pipe and were wrapped in electric tape.
Police are looking for a middle-aged white man with a heavy build who was wearing a gray shirt and hat, as a person of interest. Officials have not deemed the incident terrorism.
“There is nothing at this time to indicate this act was terrorism,” Schulze said. “At this time, we are checking video surveillance cameras.”
Federal agents with the FBI and ATF have been informed about the incident.
