FBI agents and hazardous materials teams descended on a gated residential community in Irvine on Wednesday night, performing a raid on a single-family home and carefully removing chemicals found inside.
The investigation began Monday after a landlord reported “suspicious activity” at the residence on Cartwheel, near Iluna, according to the Irvine Police Department. The Orange County Fire Authority responded and determined that items found inside the home required further investigation, police said.
The FBI then sent its evidence response and hazardous evidence response teams to the home at the request of the OCFA, a spokesperson said.
The federal agency is continuing to work the investigation in partnership with police and fire personnel and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the spokesperson said.
When authorities searched the home, they found chemicals that could be used for terrorist activities, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. However, the source said, it’s unclear exactly how the chemicals were being used. The source spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation candidly.
The multimillion-dollar four-bedroom home being searched is in Altair, an exclusive gated community adjacent to the Great Park and across the street from Portola High School. The luxurious neighborhood offers residents access to 24/7 security, multiple pools, tennis courts and a clubhouse. The home under investigation was listed for rent in April 2021 for $7,500 a month, according to Zillow.
Helicopter footage captured by KTLA showed a large deployment of personnel and vans surrounding the home Wednesday, as workers dressed in hazmat suits and wearing respirators carried items outside of the home. FBI agents without protective gear were also seen walking around the property.
No one has been ordered to evacuate and there is no known threat to the community at this time, police said. Still, that warning did not fully calm the nerves of residents jolted by the dramatic operation in their normally quiet neighborhood.
“Even though they tell you it’s safe, it doesn’t really inspire safety in the people who live there when they see people who are fully kitted out and walking into a house,” neighbor Ahmed Bajwa told the station. Bajwa said the people who lived in the home targeted by the operation were a family and did not appear suspicious.
“It wasn’t anything that fits what you would think this type of response would justify,” he said.
