Bomb scare causes postponement of Aspen New Year celebrations

Residents and visitors in upscale Aspen, Colorado, were forced to postpone their New Year’s festivities for a day after a former resident planted four bombs around the town and vowed “mass death” before killing himself.

Police in Aspen reported that 72-year-old James Chester Blanning, who had grown bitter about wealthy outsiders having overtaken the town, entered two banks on New Year’s Eve, leaving gift-wrapped bombs behind.

In addition, the man left notes that demanded cash and stated that “Aspen will pay a horrible price in blood” if his demand wasn’t met.

Later in the day, Aspen police found two similar packages in an alleyway.

Blanning sent a copy of his note and demand to the Aspen Times newspaper.

“We believe the suspect abandoned his plan halfway through,” said Aspen’s assistant chief of police, Bill Linn.

A few hours after finding the other bombs, police found Blanning dead in his Jeep Cherokee, in a location east of Aspen. In the vehicle they also found a rifle and the handgun that assistant chief Linn said the man had used to kill himself.

The bombs, which police detonated in a secure area before dawn, led to the evacuation of most of downtown Aspen. All New Year’s Eve parties and the mountaintop fireworks display were cancelled.

Thanks to news.scotsman.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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