Airport Bombing Attempt: “Ready to Fight A War on US Soil”
Jackie Reddy October 12, 2017
An improvised device was placed near the terminal building at Asheville Regional Airport by Michael Christopher Estes, who said that he wanted to “fight a war on U.S. soil”.
Editorial Update: This story seems to have missed several major news outlets. And a second package was just discovered.
A man arrested after placing an explosive device at North Carolina’s Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) last Friday morning has told authorities that he was ready to “fight a war on U.S. soil”, the Citizen-Times reports. The threat made by the suspect, Michael Christopher Estes, was formally recorded in a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
The incident, which occurred at 12:39 a.m. on Friday, October 6th, was captured on video and showed Estes walking towards the terminal at AVL carrying a bag. The report records that, “Based on a review of the video, the individual walked near the entrance to the terminal, went out of sight momentarily, and was then seen departing the area without the bag.”
Upon investigation, the improvised device was found to contain fuel oil and ammonium nitrate. The outlet reports that these substances are commonly used in terror-related incidents around the world.
The complaint records that, “The device at the airport consisted of a Mason type jar with a lid that was locked down by an incorporated locking device. There were prills — pellets or solid globules of a substance formed by the congealing of a liquid during processing — inside the jar and two plastic cups containing an unknown liquid substance, believed to be the fuel source. There were pieces of cold compress packs inside the jar.”
The device also contained steel wool, nails and a shotgun cartridge. It was timed to detonate at 06:00 a.m. local time.
The device, however, was discovered by police and part of the terminal at AVL was closed as a precautionary measure. Estes, who has admitted to planting the device at the airport, has since been taken into custody. He has been charged with the unlawful possession of explosive materials in an airport as well as with the attempted malicious use of explosive materials.
