Bomb attempt at Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Spokane

Investigators in Spokane, Washington are investigating what they described as promising leads Wednesday in a eerie bombing attempt at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in which someone left a backpack filled with explosives on a bench. An official familiar with the case said the bomb had a remote detonator and the ability to cause mass casualties. It was defused without incident Monday but bewildered residents of Spokane, especially those who took part in a parade whose theme was steeped in nonviolence and peace.The official spoke off the record  because he is not commissioned to release information about the investigation.The FBI said it has no suspects. But Frank Harrill, special agent in charge of the Spokane FBI office, said Wednesday investigators are following up on “fruitful leads” they’ve received from the public.Harrill said the black Swiss Army backpack has been shipped to an FBI lab in Quantico, Va., for analysis. In addition to the bomb, the backpack contained two T-shirts that authorities were analyzing for clues.Another explosive device was found March 23 beside the Thomas S. Foley U.S. Courthouse in downtown Spokane. No arrests have been made in that investigation and agents didn’t know if the two incidents were related, Harrill said. Monday’s parade route was changed after the bomb was found, and most of the several hundred people who marched in the annual event did not know about the device said Liz Moore, one of the marchers.The bomb was spotted by three city employees about an hour before the parade was to start, Harrill said. They looked inside, saw wires and immediately alerted law enforcement. The bomb was carefully placed on a metal bench with a brick wall behind that would have directed shrapnel toward Main Street,where marchers were expected to pass, investigators said.The FBI released a photo of the backpack as it offered a $20,000 reward for information from the public. Also released were pictures of the T-shirts found in the pack. There was a gray T-shirt with writing for the Stevens County Relay for Life race last June. Stevens County is just north of Spokane County. The other dark T-shirt said “Treasure Island Spring 2009.”Harrill called the bomb an act of domestic terrorism,No one has claimed responsibility for planting the bomb.