October 8, 2024

The Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida, has been evacuated after two ‘explosives’ were found hidden in the property.

According to a statement from the Seminole Police Department, the devices were taken off the premises and deactivated. Just before midnight on Sunday night, the first “crude concealed device with fireworks components” was discovered in a men’s room near to the casino. The device was “quickly deactivated with cooperation and support from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Disposal Team,” according to authorities.

“Part of the casino was immediately evacuated, then reopened about 3 a.m., after the device was deactivated and removed.” A second hidden bomb was found in a men’s room in the casino’s mezzanine area just after noon on Monday, according to the Seminole Police Department, during the course of the inquiry that was sparked by the first device.






The casino was evacuated twice

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Bomb Disposal Team assisted in deactivating and removing the second device in addition to evacuating the mezzanine area. As part of the ongoing investigation, the Seminole Police Department stated it was collaborating with the FBI and examining CCTV footage.

The casino has fully reopened, according to authorities on Monday.

An improvised explosive device at a California courthouse was set off by a man last Wednesday, allegedly with the intention of killing deputies and a judge. The device caused at least five injuries and “significant and noticeable damage,” according to a criminal complaint filed on Thursday.

According to the complaint, Nathaniel James McGuire, 20, has been charged with intentionally causing harm to a building through the use of explosives. The Santa Maria incident on Wednesday was thought to be isolated, according to the authorities, and the suspect has no known connections to terrorism.

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Part of the casino was immediately evacuated, then reopened about 3 a.m., after the device was deactivated and removed
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Getty Images)

McGuire did not have access to bail. According to Santa Barbara County Undersheriff Craig Bonner, McGuire was taken into custody in July on suspicion of possessing a firearm without a permit. During his arrest, officers found a loaded, hidden handgun in his pocket that was not registered. According to Bonner, McGuire was scheduled to be arraigned in that matter on Wednesday.

According to the lawsuit, McGuire threw a bag into the courthouse lobby on Wednesday, and it exploded. “According to the on-scene bomb technician, the suspected improvised explosive device was a can containing a black powder with nails glued to the outside,” the complaint says. “The device was wrapped in duct tape.”