Lack of information on the components of the device.
Via Helena IR:
A pair of devices made to look like bombs left outside the KTVQ building were detonated by the Billings Police Department bomb squad Monday night.
The devices didn’t have explosive components, according to Sgt. Jason Gartner, but were made to appear threatening.
KTVQ News Director Jon Stepanek said he encountered a man speaking incoherently who left a clear tote at the station’s east entrance.
The man didn’t respond to Stepanek’s questions before leaving, and the station contacted police.
Officers were first notified at about 4:30 p.m. Gartner said he was called to bring in the bomb squad at about 7:30 p.m. He said he was unsure about the time delay in notifications.
Police recommended that the station move employees away from the entrance area, but the station was able to continue normal operations and aired the 9 p.m. news as scheduled.
Police found “religious writings” on the tote, and saw a device inside the tote and another outside the tote that “could be consistent with an IED,” Gartner said.
A robot was used to further examine the devices and then disarm them. A water shot, which separates components in a potential explosive to render them inert, was used on the device in the tote and the device outside the tote.
Both detonations had a gunshot-like noise with no visible explosion.
Gartner said that he couldn’t be sure what the intentions were of the man who left the devices, but that the devices were made to appear threatening.