Two IEDs exploded at the Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales in central Florida on Sunday.
At 5:22 p.m., officers responded to a smoke alarm call and found smoke coming out of a service corridor next to the mall entrance of JCPenney. The devices, which were about 10 yards away from each other in the same hallway, appeared to be a type of flare inside a PVC pipe wrapped in electric tape, said Lake Wales Police Deputy Chief Troy Schulze.
A little more than 100 people were at the mall at the time of the detonation, but no one was injured, and they were safely evacuated.
Despite the acts of terrorism committed around the country and abroad using pipe bombs, police do not think this is one of those cases.
"There is nothing at this time to indicate this act was terrorism," Schulze said. "At this time, we are checking video surveillance cameras."
Police say they are looking for a middle-aged white man with a heavy build who was wearing a gray shirt and hat, based on descriptions from witnesses. Police are describing this man as a person of interest.
The FBI and ATF have been notified of the incident.
Source: cnn.com
