N.C. police detonate two bombs near Shelby

SHELBY, N.C. — Authorities have detonated two dangerous homemade bombs in southwestern North Carolina but it’s unknown where the bombs came from.

The first bomb was discovered Monday on a busy stretch of U.S. 74 near Shelby. Police say a second bomb was found along the same road Tuesday, less than two miles away from the first.

Both bombs were detonated by bomb squads from the Gaston County Police Department and the Gastonia Police Department.

Multiple media outlets reported that a motorist alerted police Monday afternoon to a 6-inch-long device wrapped in silver tape with a fuse sticking out, resembling a stick of dynamite.

A Gastonia police spokesman said both devices shared similar characteristics.