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WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A pipe bomb exploded on Saturday along the route of a Marines charity run in the U.S. state of New Jersey in what U.S. authorities believed was a planned attack.
No injuries or damages were reported when the explosive device went off in a garbage pail along the route of a five-kilometre charity run sponsored by the U.S. Marine in New Jersey's Seaside Park, the Ocean County, about 129 kilometers south of New York City, according to local authorities.
The start of the road run was delayed, which avoided a large number of runners in the area, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said on Facebook.
There was a report of at least one other device near the site of the explosion, the office said, adding that the area was on lockdown while bomb dogs were searching for additional bombs.
Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Ocean County prosecutor's office, told CNN that he believed that the explosion was meant to affect the charity run, which started five minutes before the blast.
"Where, if it was just a matter of minutes, in terms of difference, there would have been a good number of people running past that explosive device," said Della Fave.
The run was cancelled immediately after the explosion.
So far, it remained unknown whether it was criminal or terrorist, said Della Fave, adding that he assumed that U.S. Marines and their families had been targeted.
