Alabama attorney general says explosive device was detonated outside his office

The explosion came hours after Steve Marshall made a statement on the state’s new IVF ruling

Alabama’s Attorney General says an explosive device was set off outside his office over the weekend.

AG Steve Marshall revealed in a statement on Monday afternoon that the explosion happened at his office in Montgomery in the early hours of Saturday morning.

“Thankfully, no staff or personnel were injured by the explosion,” Mr Marshall said in the statement. “The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will be leading the investigation, and we are urging anyone with information to contact them immediately.”

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency told The Independent that agents were called at around 8.19am on Monday, following reports of “a suspicious package”.

Attorney General of Alabama Steve Marshall speaks to members of the press after the oral argument of the Merrill v. Milligan case at the U.S. Supreme Court on October 4, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

“It was determined that the suspicious package was an explosive device that was detonated in the early morning hours of Saturday, Feb. 24,” a spokesperson said. “No injuries or damage to nearby buildings have been reported.”

Mr Marshall had announced on Friday that his office had no plans to prosecute IVF providers or families seeking treatment, following the ruling by the state’s Supreme Court that classified frozen embryos as unborn children.

That ruling saw multiple IVF clinics in the state cease operations, while families wanting to go through the treatment have been left wondering whether they will be able to have children or not.

In the days since, President Joe Biden called the decision “outrageous and unacceptable” and is sending one of his top health officials to speak with patients and doctors about the fallout.

At the time of publishing, a motive for the explosion at Mr Marshall’s office had not been made public and the investigation remained ongoing.

The Attorney General’s office is at 501 Washington Avenue, in the centre of Alabama’s capital city. It backs onto the State Capitol and is a couple of blocks from the court where the ruling was handed down on 16 February.