Explosive device detonates outside Alabama attorney general’s office

Authorities in Alabama are investigating after an explosive device detonated over the weekend outside the office of state Attorney General Steve Marshall.

The explosion happened a day after Marshall’s office said he had no plans to prosecute IVF providers or families following an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that said embryos are people.

In a statement Monday, Marshall said the explosive device went off early Saturday in Montgomery.

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

Marshall’s office declined to comment further about the explosion, directing questions Monday to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. A spokesperson for the agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The incident occurred a week after Alabama’s high court ruled that embryos created through in vitro fertilization are considered children under state law.

A day before the explosion, Katherine Robertson, the chief counsel for the attorney general, said in a statement that Marshall’s office “has no intention of using the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision as a basis for prosecuting IVF families or providers.”

NBC News reported last week that at least three IVF providers in the state had suspended services as they weigh potential legal repercussions of the ruling.

The Alabama Legislature is also considering proposals aimed at protecting IVF treatment. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, a Republican, wrote Friday on X that “House and Senate leadership are committed to protecting IVF in the state of Alabama.”