FBI, Maui police investigating placement of multiple explosive devices in Hawaii after SUV destroyed

The FBI and Maui police are asking the public to report any suspicious activity after an improvised explosive devices (IEDs) caused an explosion last week and after several others have been recovered. 

The explosion happened on Aug. 8 on Old Haleakala Highway, according to a press release from the FBI. The 7-inch by 4-inch cylinder shaped IED had been left in a trash receptacle before it struck a passing vehicle, sending the driver to the hospital.  

“I saw a flash in the sky and I thought it was gonna be lightning,” witness Jessica Weatherholt told local station KITV. “I heard the loudest explosion that I’ve ever heard in my entire life. It sounded like an attack. It sounded like somebody was dropping bombs.”

“The drivers side window was shattered, the frame was bent,” she continued, before describing the condition of the white SUV struck by the device. “All along the entire body was like holes and shrapnel.”

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FBI in Hawaii said a recovered IED was a 7-inch x 4-inch cylinder shape, that appears to be a basket. (FBI)

Several IEDs have been identified and collected by the FBI and Maui Police Department (MPD) from trash receptacles or other areas outside of plain view along roadways between Kahului and Kula, authorities said. They vary in shape and size but have been rendered safe.

“The FBI and MPD continue to urge the public to report any suspicious activity that could present a threat to public safety, such as someone leaving an object unattended in a public space,” the FBI’s press release states. “If you see a suspicious or unknown object, especially near any street or road, do not touch, drive over, or go near it for any reason. If possible, keep others away from the area and call 911 immediately.”

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The FBI is working with the Maui Police Department to find the person or people responsible for placing IEDs in several locations in Hawaii. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Forensic review is taking place to determine how the devices were configured to detonate. IEDs may look like small, makeshift baskets, the FBI said.

Both the FBI and MPD are working to find those responsible. Investigators say the driver of the SUV hit by the explosion was released from the hospital. 

Aerial view of Kahului. Maui. Hawaii. USA. (Andre Seale/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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“If we would’ve left like 10 or 15 minutes earlier to pick up our daughter from work, that could’ve been us,” Weatherholt said about the victims from the white SUV. “We would’ve been at that same location that that woman was.”