SPOKANE, Wash. — Today marks 15 years since a bomb was discovered and safely removed from the Martin Luther King Jr. parade route in Spokane. On January 17, 2011, three city workers found a backpack containing electric wires.
Upon discovering the wires, the workers called 911. Authorities confirmed it was a remote-detonated bomb made with shrapnel and rat poison.
Fortunately, the FBI intervened in time, leading to an adjustment of the parade’s route. Months later, the FBI arrested Kevin Harpham outside his home. The NonStop Local team found Harpham was part of a white supremacy group called the National Alliance.
Spokane City Council President Betty Wilkerson explained on Friday how the incident has resulted in safer planning for parades in the region.
