Apparent Bomb Found; 2nd Scare in 2 Days in County

In the second scare in as many days, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad Monday safely dismantled what appeared to be a small pipe bomb in the Santa Ana River bed in Santa Ana.

Authorities would not detail the size and structure of the bomb other than to say it appeared to be made of galvanized steel and capable of exploding with the force of a small grenade.

No injuries were reported and no one was evacuated during dismantling of the bomb near Warner Avenue’s river overpass.

Authorities said that the origin of the bomb is unknown but speculated that it may have been the work of youngsters who had heard about recent discoveries of pipe bombs in San Diego and Orange.

Bomb Seen by Passer-by

“You read about these things happening in the media and, unfortunately, you have a lot of young people who think it would be exciting to try and build something like that,” Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Richard J. Olson said.

The bomb was seen about 10:20 a.m. by a passer-by who called Santa Ana police, Olson said.

Mike Berglund, 37, a Fountain Valley businessman, also alerted authorities after he saw the shimmering pipe next to the stream about 10:30 a.m. while walking across the riverbed to a nearby restaurant.

Berglund said the object was about 5 inches long, with steel caps at both ends. At one end was a hole, but he saw no fuse.

“I knew immediately what I was looking at,” Berglund said. “I used to be a ship fitter for a Navy yard, and nothing looks like a pipe bomb but a pipe bomb. It looked like it had been placed there and didn’t float down because the stream is only about a foot wide, just a trickle.”

The Sheriff’s Department bomb squad was dispatched, and the bomb was dismantled at the site.

Officials in Orange, meanwhile, say they have not ruled out anti-Iranian hostility as the motive for a fake bomb found outside a restaurant Sunday, even though many in the Iranian community said they are skeptical that the bomb was intended as a threat.

The device, made to look like a pipe bomb and rigged with wiring and plastic, was found at about 11 a.m. propped against the rear wall of the Dehkadeh Restaurant, 1722 N. Tustin Ave.

At least five homes and 10 businesses in the immediate area were evacuated until a bomb squad robot took the device to an alley, where explosives experts dismantled it by hand. It contained no explosives.

The origin of the device and its intent are still not known, but officials have not ruled out the possibility that the bomb was intended to intimidate the Iranian community in retaliation for a suspected terrorist act in San Diego on Friday.

Wife of Skipper Escaped

In that incident, the wife of the skipper of the San Diego-based Navy ship Vincennes narrowly escaped injury when a bomb exploded in the van she was driving. Authorities have determined no motive but speculate that the San Diego bombing may be tied to the Vincennes’ mistaken downing in July of an Iranian civilian airliner over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 aboard.

County authorities said there appear to be no similarities between the bomb found Monday and the one placed next to the Iranian restaurant, although both apparently were crudely made.

“Somebody who kept abreast of the news or watched television a lot could make it up, “ Orange Police Sgt. Timm Browne said of the restaurant bomb. “It would not take somebody with a sophisticated knowledge of bombs to do it.”

Browne said the owners of the restaurant told police they had received no threats and knew of no motive for the fake bomb.

One of the owners, who identified himself as Sam but asked that his full name not be used, said Monday that he remains jittery about the incident but doubts that he was targeted because he is Iranian.

Just Trying to Make a Living

“We are just trying to do business and make a living for our family,” he said. “I doubt that Americans would try to retaliate for the San Diego incident. They know most Iranians who live in this country are not related to the Iranian government.”

He added that the restaurant has been doing good business since opening in February and that it is just as likely that the fake bomb was planted by a business competitor.

Others in the local Iranian community agreed and said it is too early to tie the bomb to a surge in anti-Iranian prejudice.

“During the hostage crisis, there were some Iranians intimidated and discriminated against,” said Nader Nowparast, a Newport Beach psychologist who is active in the community. “But Americans are very broad-minded and basically not hostile to Iranians.

“Iranians have problems like anyone else. Groups have feuds and arguments. It could be some personal enemy taking advantage of the atmosphere and expecting someone else will be blamed. . . . These things happen in the community all the time.”