OAN’s Abril Elfi
1:05 PM – Thursday, April 11, 2024
An Alabama man has been arrested and charged for allegedly detonating an explosive device outside the office of state Attorney General Steve Marshall.
On Wednesday, officials took Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert into custody on charges of malicious use of an explosive and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Investigators arrested the 26-year-old suspect weeks after an explosive device went off at around 3:45 a.m. outside Marshall’s office on February 24th.
“My staff and I are breathing a collective sigh of relief this morning knowing that this individual has been taken off the streets,” Marshall said in a statement. “Although more information will be provided in the weeks to come, I think it is safe to say that this was not a random act of violence,” he added. “We are grateful to our federal and local partners for their assistance in this matter and are pleased that the offender faces federal charges carrying significant prison time.”
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) stated that officials had been notified of a suspicious package the Monday after the explosion.
The package was later confirmed as the device that had been detonated.
“This IED used commercially available pyrotechnic fireworks as the main explosive charge, a coffee can as a concealment container, and was enhanced with added fragmentation and ignitable liquids,” an FBI agent wrote, according to court documents. “The addition of metal screws, nails, and other hardware to this IED demonstrates weaponization characteristics due to the enhanced fragmentation effect that those materials would create. The addition of ignitable liquids to the IED demonstrates weaponization characteristics due to the enhanced ability for the IED to initiate a fire.”
According to reports, no one was injured and no major damage to buildings nearby were reported.
Authorities released surveillance footage where a man is seen walking on the sidewalk minutes after the incident.
In the footage, the man can be seen placing stickers around the city that read “Support your local Antifa” while others included phrases such as “EAT THE RICH,” “FEMINIST ACTION” and “ABOLISH ICE.”
According to the filings, investigators later located Calvert using a car the subject was seen driving both before and after the incident.
They also compared surveillance footage of Calvert from a prior employer to the footage of the subject captured at the scene and saw both had a similar “unique gait.”
The filings also state that Calvert also shared a picture of himself on social media with goggles “identical” to the ones used by the person who set off the explosives.
Calvert allegedly posted about his “violent impulses” and his frustrations with the government on social media.
“How the f— are we not killing the government right now!” Calvert reportedly said in a video posted on December 12th, 2023.
Calvert faces up to 20 years in prison. Investigators have not yet disclosed a motive.
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