MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Officials in southern Minnesota are asking the public’s help in figuring out why three homemade explosive devices — one of which was found inside a stuffed animal — were discovered on an elementary school playground this week.
The Waseca Police Department says it got a call Monday from staff at the Hartley Elementary School, where two “very small” explosive devices were found on the school’s south playground. One had been detonated. The other failed to ignite. On Friday, staff discovered an additional explosive device on the same playground, and this one was inside a stuffed animal. No one was injured in either of these incidents.
All of the devices required being exposed to an open flame in order to detonate, police said. And although they described it as “disturbing” that one of the devices was found inside a toy, they said that there was no indication that the devices had been left on the playground to injure children.
Also, police said these devices might only have been discovered now because of recent rains and melting snow.
If you have any information on these incidents, called Waseca police at 507-835-9720.
