Fairbanks police evacuated one of the city’s Fred Meyer locations on Saturday evening, after a deactivated mortar shell was left in the grocery store’s bathroom. Many people in the area received a text alert at approximately 4 p.m. urging them to avoid the retail area in west Fairbanks.
An explosive ordnance disposal team from Fort Wainwright removed the 81-millimeter shell from the store, and no injuries were reported.
A spokesperson for the Fairbanks Police Department said two juvenile suspects have been identified. One of the suspects allegedly stole the shell, which was on display at a nearby military nonprofit, and brought it to the grocery store. Then, a second suspect allegedly placed it in the bathroom.
The investigation is ongoing, but the spokesperson said the Fairbanks Police Department is planning to charge the two suspects with terroristic threatening — a class C felony.
The grocery store reopened to the public about an hour after law enforcement responded to the incident on Saturday. Fred Meyers representatives did not respond to a request for comment.