As thousands prepare for three days of debauched entertainment at the Bonnaroo music festival, local authorities are investigating two active pipe bombs found near the event grounds.
The first device was discovered Wednesday morning in a drainage ditch about five miles away from Great Stage Park, the venue for Bonnaroo, the Manchester Times reported. The second was found soon after, about 30 meters away from the first.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to a call about the bombs, according to the Chief Investigator for the Manchester Police Department Jackie Matheny, who said officers “arrived and made the explosive devices safe.”
he festival’s organizers maintained the incident was entirely unrelated to the event, and assured concert-goers that safety was a priority.
“As always, we remain in contact with local law enforcement throughout the festival and have a broad range of safety procedures in place, including car searches, CCTV cameras, mounted patrol, metal detectors and canine patrols,” the organizers told the Tennessean.