The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is now cooperating with the FBI to investigate a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) discovered Tuesday morning outside the state Capitol, and the federal agency has the "safe parts" of the device, DCI Commander Ryan Cox told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
A passerby found the suspected explosive laying on the state’s Great Seal and brought it inside to alert troopers, the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) said Tuesday. A WHP division runs state Capitol security.
The building was then evacuated as law enforcement combed the scene. Along with evacuating the Capitol, authorities also issued a shelter-in-place warning for people working in the nearby East and West Herschler buildings.
Officials had also sectioned off the area around the Capitol’s front steps with police tape. DCI is now investigating the case and promised to release more details about the suspected bomb promptly.
There are at least three visible surveillance cameras in the area around the Great Seal and front of the Wyoming Capitol. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily) 
The FBI is now involved in an investigation stemming from a suspected bomb found Tuesday outside the Wyoming Capitol Building. The federal agency has the "safe parts" of the device, which was left on the Great Seal in front of the Capitol. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily) 
The FBI is now involved in an investigation stemming from a suspected bomb found Tuesday outside the Wyoming Capitol Building. The federal agency has the "safe parts" of the device, which was left on the Great Seal in front of the Capitol. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
FBI Cooperation
Cox said all the “safe parts” of the suspected IED are currently in FBI custody. Though he couldn’t release details about the suspected IED, Cox described it as something small that could be concealed in a bag.
The item was not inside a bag when it was found, he said. Cox said he could not confirm whether the item has been identified as a bomb, though he promised DCI would release more information on that front soon.
Cox said DCI has identified suspects in the case but has made no contact with these individuals yet. He confirmed the individual who identified the IED was likely a capitol employee, though he added he’s only “52% certain” of this.
Since issuing a request for information from the public, Cox said DCI has received several leads it is pursuing.
DCI is also currently poring through “a good amount of video” captured by capitol security cameras, he said. At least three security cameras are visible in the area surrounding the Great Seal.
While Cox said DCI is advising Capitol officials to remain “cautious,” he said the agency suspects there is no indication that there could be similar attacks in the future.
Legislators Respond
Since entering the House in 1979, Sen. Charlie Scott, R- Casper, has become the longest-serving member of the Wyoming legislature. He told Cowboy State Daily the Capitol has never seen a bomb threat during his time working there.
“I don't ever remember it happening before so this is kind of an isolated incident,” he said. “We do see this across the country occasionally in public places. It's usually somebody who's disgruntled or is mentally ill or is a prankster, not realizing how much disruption they're causing.”
Scott said that the individual responsible for placing the suspected IED should face the maximum penalty if the facts indicate the item was a bomb.
“And what you try to do is find out who did it,” he said. “Prosecute them vigorously, but it’s hard to find out who did it. Sometimes you wonder what people are thinking when they do something like that.”
The senator noted, however, the fact that the passerby brought the item into the Capitol may prove that it was inconspicuous enough not to appear threatening.
“First thing you got to do is establish it really was a bomb threat,” he said. “And if somebody picked it up and brought it in and showed it to the authorities, that doesn't strike me that they thought it was a bomb.”
“They may have thought that it might have been something dangerous, but if it really is dangerous, you don't pick it up, carry it in and give it to the authorities,” he added. “You call the authorities and say ‘look, it's sitting out here, and you ought to look at it.’”
Former Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R- Cheyenne, was the second-longest-serving member of the House until January of 2025 when he was unseated by current Rep. Ann Lucas, R- Cheyenne. He was also unable to recall another instance of a bomb threat at the Capitol.
“In my history, I think there's only maybe twice that there was some type of phone call or allegation,” he said. “One was a specific one was, like a nationwide kind of alert.”
Zwonitzer was involved in the State Building Commission which approved the creation of the Great Seal outside the Capitol. He said the seal was put in place as a part of a greater initiative to create a more welcoming space for Wyomingites to gather.
“So we've done a lot of work in my 20 years to really have the Capitol complex being an inviting space, welcoming people,” he said. “Having the threat of an IED right there in front I mean, it's just antithetical to all the work we've done to really open up the building and make it a safe space if people want to be on the grounds.”
Zwonitzer recalled that in the pre-9/11 days, anyone could “just walk around the building right to the governor's office” without being checked by security. The recent bomb threat, however, could be grounds for additional security measures around the building.
“I would hope the legislative Facilities Committee or the Management Council does have a briefing on you know what happened and what they know, and there needs to be additional security measures put in place to ensure public safety,” he said. “Ultimately, we should ensure the state capital allows for the free movement of people to assemble and to enjoy the Capitol grounds, and that would be unfortunate if we had to restrict access to Wyoming's greatest public building.”
Contact Jackson Walker at jackson@cowboystatedaily.com
Behind yellow crime scene tape, a group of people in plain clothes investigate on the steps of the Wyoming Capitol on Tuesday during an evacuation and lockdown of the building sparked by the report of an improvised explosive device in the building. (Jackson Walker, Cowboy State Daily) 
Law enforcement dogs sniff around the outside of the Wyoming Capitol on Tuesday during an evacuation and lockdown of the building sparked by the report of an improvised explosive device in the building. (Wyoming Highway Patrol) 
Yellow crime scene tape surrounds the Wyoming Capitol on Tuesday during an evacuation and lockdown of the building sparked by the report of an improvised explosive device in the building. (Wyoming Highway Patrol) 
The Wyoming Capitol has been evacuated and put on lockdown Tuesday after a report of a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) in the building, the Wyoming Highway Patrol reports. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
