Covington ‘pipe bomb’ was a hoax device

Update

The device suspected to be a pipe bomb found in a Covington roadway was determined to be a dud.

The suspicious looking object was reported by drivers earlier this week. A bomb squad was called, and the pipe was taken to a remote location for inspection. It was found not to be an explosive device.

The King County Sheriff’s Office considers the found object a “hoax device.”

“We’ve talked to pipe fitters and they say there is no reason a pipe like that would have caps on both ends like that,” said Cindi West with the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Original story

King County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene of a potential bomb threat in Covington Monday afternoon.

“A passerby was driving by and looked in the median saw what appeared to be a pipe bomb,” said Cindy West with the King County Sheriff’s Office. “Deputies responded and confirmed that it did look like a pipe bomb.”

A bomb squad responded but could not immediately confirm if the object was actually explosive.

“We sent out bomb techs to the area…they couldn’t determine if there was anything in it,” West said.

“In this case, x-rays didn’t show them anything, so they put it in what we call a ‘frag bag’ for them to move,” she said.

Deputies have removed the possible bomb from the roadway, and have transported it to a location where West said it will be detonated to confirm if it was an explosive, or just a hoax.

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