Police blow up suspicious backpack left by woman outside Denver Federal Center

LAKEWOOD, Colo -- An explosion rang out on Monday at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood on Monday after Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad technicians detonated a backpack a woman told officials had a bomb inside. 

The woman, who has yet to be identified, told officials at the Federal Center in the late morning on Monday she had a bomb in a backpack, found just inside of Gate 1 of the center. 

Investigators say she faced arrest immediately, prompting the response of federal and local authorities -- including bomb squad technicians. 

Technicians immediately set to work on the backpack, performing an x-ray, which they say revealed a cell phone device and wiring materials. 

Nearby, authorities located the woman's vehicle in the parking lot of a Lowes just two miles from the Federal Center. No explosives were located and the car continues to be part of the investigation. 

With continuing investigation and a pending implosion, police blocked off all traffic in the general area of the center, which houses 28 different agencies in 44 total federal buildings. The entire 623-acre campus was locked down. 

Technicians soon employed the use of a bomb robot, placing a charge into the general area of the backpack before detonating the package. The first detonation, however, didn't work -- technicians had to set up a second charge. 

As a geared up technician helped the robot set up a second charge, authorities braced for impact. The second charge fully destroyed the backpack and everything inside, which police described as a cell phone, wiring and papers. 

The woman remains in police custody and will continue to be questioned.