Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office issued a statement on Monday, February 26th, stating that an explosive device had been set off outside their office over the weekend. Fortunately, there were no injuries resulting from the explosion.
The detonation occurred during the early hours of Saturday, February 24th, at the Attorney General’s office in Montgomery. Since it was the weekend, there were no personnel present at the office. The explosion came to the attention of the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation on Monday morning following a tip regarding a suspicious package in the vicinity.
The agency has refrained from disclosing additional details about the device pending the ongoing investigation. It remains uncertain whether any property sustained damage due to the explosion.
In response to inquiries regarding whether the explosion was linked to a recent state Supreme Court ruling classifying frozen embryos created for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) as children, a spokesperson for Marshall cautioned against premature assumptions by the media without adequate evidence.
Nonetheless, the explosion happened a day subsequent to AG Marshall’s announcement that his office would refrain from prosecuting families or medical facilities involved in IVF following the Supreme Court decision. This timing has spurred speculation that the incident may be connected to the ruling.
The recent ruling by the Alabama State Supreme Court determined that under current state laws, frozen embryos could be considered legally as children. This decision arose from a wrongful death lawsuit brought by three couples whose stored frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed at a fertility clinic.
Nevertheless, it is uncertain whether either the state Supreme Court’s ruling or the Attorney General’s assurance not to prosecute couples seeking to utilize IVF for family planning within the legal framework is linked to the detonation of the explosive device. The Attorney General’s office encourages individuals with any information regarding the explosion to reach out to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
