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Bomb rips through California courthouse
No reports of injuries
January 30, 1997Web posted at: 10:38 a.m. EST (1538 GMT)
VALLEJO, California (CNN) -- A pre-dawn explosion rocked the Solono County courthouse Thursday, blowing a large hole in the side of the building and shattering the windows of nearby businesses. It is the second time in five days an explosive has jolted this San Francisco Bay area city.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Police said the explosion, which they believed to be a bomb, went off at about 3:30 a.m. (6:30 a.m. EST). Journalist Craig Cannon, who arrived at the scene minutes after the explosion, described the damage as extensive.
The explosive, Cannon said, left a gaping hole in one side of the courthouse. Glass was strewn everywhere and nearby businesses' windows were blown out.
Authorities, without elaboration, have said they believe there is a connection between earlier incidents.
KRON-TV reported that FBI and ATF agents investigating the blast discovered a wire strung across the street and connected to an ignition source. Dynamite was believed to have been used in the construction of the bomb, the station reported, leading investigators to explore possible connections to two other incidents that occurred in the past week.
On Sunday, a device exploded in front of a set of Wells Fargo ATM machines in Vallejo. No one was injured and no money was taken.
About 12 hours earlier and a mile away, children playing near the John F. Kennedy library found a bomb made of 30 sticks of dynamite and blasting caps. It had not been wired to go off.
Investigators speculate the ATMs were the intended target of the first bomb, but the attempt was aborted for some reason and the bomb abandoned.
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