Smoke Bomb Goes Off in Phoenix Hotel – Weapons Found

This is an incident report and there is no information indicating that it is terrorism related. Additional details will be provided as they become available.

Update: Reports indicate the smoke bomb was military grade. Very little other information is being released.

Guests were evacuated Sunday night when a smoke bomb went off on the fourth floor of the Hilton Garden Inn, 1940 W. Pinnacle Peak Road in northwest Phoenix.

Officials found other weapons in the room where the bomb detonated, including guns and bullets, said Frank Salomon, deputy chief of public affairs for the Phoenix Fire Department.

Officials are still investigating who if anyone was in the room. The hotel evacuated about 35 rooms, containing roughly 60 people including guests and staff, said Salomon.

Phoenix Fire Department crews were on the scene. The call came in at about 7 p.m.

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Thailand, Cambodia War Rhetoric Heats Up

Cambodian and Thai military officials said soldiers were on alert and ready to defend themselves as war rhetoric heated up Wednesday between the neighbors in a tense border dispute.

Both sides said they were ready to respond militarily if attacked, a day after Cambodia issued an ultimatum to Thailand to pull back its troops from disputed border territory near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

“We remain on alert and have readied our forces adequately to protect our territory,” said Cambodia’s Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Neang Phat. He declined to say how many Cambodian troops had been deployed in the area.

As of late Tuesday, troops on both sides of the border were only about 100 yards (meters) apart, said Gen. Viboonsak Neepan, the Thai Army commander for the region.

“We have sent more troops to be stationed near the area but only enough to resist (an attack). We will not attack first,” Viboonsak said.

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