A
trucker carrying explosives allegedly threatened to detonate his
load Sept. 11 after he was delayed at a weigh station near Sioux
City, IA, local media outlets reported, shutting down Interstate
29 near the Missouri River town.
Woodbury
County Sheriff David Amick told KCCI TV that the threat,
which the trucker later said he was just “kidding,” was "not
a wise move," considering it was made on the second anniversary
of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
After
the threat was made, officials checked the trucker’s paperwork and
discovered he was carrying some type of explosives, according to The Associated Press. That’s when officials, as a precaution,
shut down seven miles of I-29 in both directions.
Lt.
Rob Hansen of the Iowa State Patrol told The AP DOT officials
took the driver into custody.
KCCI said officials from the Iowa State Fire Marshal's office were
headed to the location to investigate the truck and its contents.
Meanwhile, as a precaution, homes near the weigh station were evacuated.
Sioux
City sits along the Missouri River close to where the states of
Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota come together. I-29 is one of the
main routes from Kansas City, MO, and Lincoln and Omaha, NE, north
into South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. The road also connects
several east-west routes, such as I-70, I-80 and I-90.
The
trucker who was taken into custody has not yet been named.
