FBI investigating “suspicious materials” found at Irvine home, police say
By Dean Fioresi
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LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — FBI officials are investigating “suspicious materials” that were found at a home in a gated community in Irvine earlier this week.
Police were called to a home near Cartwheel and Iluna on Monday after a landlord called to report suspicious circumstances, an Irvine Police Department spokesperson told CBS LA.
When officers arrived, they found suspicious materials in what was believed to be a homemade science lab that had caught fire. While investigating, they found that there were possible indications of chemical nerve agents, a source familiar with the investigation told CBS LA.
Police contacted Orange County Fire Authority officials for further assistance, who sent a hazardous materials team to the scene. They determined that the chemicals found at the home were concerning due to written evidence that was also found at the scene.
The investigation was later handed off to FBI investigators, who have been working at the home since Monday, police said.
An FBI spokesperson told CBS LA that their Evidence and Response Team and Hazardous Evidence Response Team were both on scene per request from OCFA.
“There is no known threat to public safety,” the FBI’s statement said. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to provide additional information at this time.”
Neighbors told CBS LA that the National Guard also arrived outside of the home on Monday afternoon, and some of the members were seen wearing shirts that said “Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team.” Video and pictures from the scene showed a massive presence of federal and local law enforcement personnel as their investigation continued.
No arrests or injuries have been reported.
SkyCal flew over the ongoing investigation on Wednesday afternoon, where people in plain clothes and hazardous materials gear were seen walking in and out of the home’s garage.
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