Partially assembled pipe bomb found with IED components by Arizona hiker

PHOENIX – A man hiking in rural Arizona with his children made a potentially explosive discovery last week: a partially assembled pipe bomb.

The hiker found an ammo can within a cluster of boulders Friday near Hillside, a Yavapai County community about 40 miles north of Wickenburg, authorities said.

When the man looked inside the can he discovered the makings of an improvised explosive device (IED). He resealed the can and notified law enforcement.

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived and observed a 2-inch galvanized pipe bomb with horseshoe nails inside and a detonation cord. YCSO called in the Arizona Department of Public Safety Bomb Squad to investigate the situation.

Was partially assembled pipe bomb capable of exploding?

DPS determined that the device didn’t have any explosive material. However, a bag containing black powder was found nearby along with other IED components stored in zip-close bags.

The Bomb Squad neutralized the potential threat by destroying the black powder and detonation cord through a controlled detonation.

A bomb-sniffing dog was brought in, but it did not find any other explosive devices.

The investigation into the partially assembled pipe bomb is ongoing.

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