Soldier Arrested After C4 Military Explosives Found At Home

An Army Special Forces soldier was arrested in Tennessee on Monday following the discovery of 100 pounds of C4 explosives outside his home. Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Eric Kehn said he expects the man will face more charges related to the discovery of the explosives according to news reports on News Channel 5. Authorities say the explosives have no known link to terrorism. Video Link

The explosives were found in crates. The material was sealed in watertight containers and partially buried.

Source

From The Leaf Chronicle

Timothy Ryan Richards of the 5th Special Forces Group, has been charged with knowingly receiving and possessing firearms not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Federal and military officials searched Richards’ home early Monday morning after a pair of hunters found the C-4 plastic explosives in a field by the house, at 1880 Johnson Road, on Sunday at about 4:30 p.m.

Maj. April Olsen, 5th Group spokeswoman, said Richards was taken to the county jail and was transferred to federal custody. He was cooperating with authorities in the investigation, Olsen said.

Eric Kehn, special agent and public information officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the investigation is ongoing.

“Our explosive recovery effort investigation continues,” Kehn said. “He is appearing in court on some different charges, and that outlines what he’s currently being charged with.”

Those charges included Richards’ having a Saber, 5.56mm-caliber rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches long and a Swedish K .45-caliber machine gun, according to the criminal complaint filed by ATF Special Agent Jamie Smith.

The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, in Nashville.

Olsen said the search was conducted by agents from the ATF, the FBI and U.S. Army Criminal Investigations

via Read More -The Leaf Chronicle.

Explosion Leads To Evacuation of Islamic School in Syracuse

No word yet on the actual cause but authorities say initial reports are that a boiler exploded and it appears to be an accident. Additional details are expected to be released on Monday.

From Syracuse.com

Syracuse authorities are investigating an explosion in the basement of a private Islamic School that forced the evacuation of 75 students this afternoon.

It was too early to determine if the explosion was intentionally set, authorities said.

“It would be crazy for me to say what happened here right now,” said fire investigator Joe Galloway. “We’re doing a very thorough investigation.”

School officials said they were aware of no threats and had no reason to believe the explosion was anything but an accident.

Initial reports were that the boiler had exploded, but firefighters still need to sift through the large amount of debris to figure out what happened, Galloway said. Police consulted the FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives because the school is considered a place of worship.

Source

Suspicious Packages Discovered in Minnesota Town

Police in Princeton, Minnesota are investigating three suspicious packages found around town early Wednesday. An official told FOX News that the devices were located near a school, a post office and a public utility center.

Princeton, Minn. is located about 50 miles north of Minneapolis.

Later in the evening The Union Eagle said sources had confirmed that in addition to the three mysterious packages, five additional items described as “McGuyver bombs” were discovered around the city. The objects were judged to not be dangerous.They were collected and delivered to law enforcement for further examination.

The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and several local law enforcement agencies are assisting in the investigation.

$100,000 Reward Offered in Visalia Mail Bomb Case

Officials with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people behind a mailed pipe bomb which exploded at a Visalia business last week, injuring an employee and causing property damage.

Tips and information called into the Postal Inspection Service will be dispatched to the agency’s lead inspector, according to a news release. Federal investigators and Visalia police continue to pursue leads in the case, the release states.A spokeswoman for the inspection service said she could not provide any details on the investigation’s progress beyond what was given in the release.

Aaron Mustin, the 31-year-old employee and co-owner of Cal-Air Cooling and Heating — at 116 North Valley Oak Drive — was treated for burns to his arms and upper torso after the Sept. 8 explosion and later released from the hospital.U.S. Postal Inspection Service tipline: 877-0876-2455. Reference case number 1797512. Callers will remain anonymous.

Source

Cyanide Suspected In Sickening 7 L.A. Firefighters

As the fire and homicide investigation continues, officials say several firefighters were exposed to cyanide gas in two separate incidents as they were mopping up hot spots near the small city of Acton on the northern edge of the massive blaze.

The poisonous cyanide fumes are suspected in acute breathing problems suffered by Los Angeles firefighters battling the Station Fire in the Aliso Canyon. One firefighters suffered life-threatening respiratory arrest and remains in hospital after she was knocked out by noxious fumes on Sept. 1 near Acton.

Two days later, six firefighters suffered severe breathing difficulties in another part of the Aliso Canyon.

“On Sept. 1, a firefighter working on the Station Fire in the Aliso Canyon area of Acton was overcome by noxious fumes,” said the Los Angeles County Fire department. “The firefighter suffered respiratory arrest and was taken to a local medical facility for further treatment and evaluation.”

The firefighter remains in hospital.

“On Sept. 3, six firefighters were transported to a local hospital after being overwhelmed by unknown fumes in a different part of Aliso Canyon. The firefighters were treated and released,” said a statement.

“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department HAZMAT unit responded to the two separate areas of Aliso Canyon to investigate the cause of the respiratory illnesses,” officials said.

After examining the sites, the Sheriff’s HAZMAT personnel detected trace cyanide concentration of 48 parts per million in the Alison Canyon area.

“In the area where the six firefighters were injured, the Sheriff’s HAZMAT unit found smoldering spots of fire, but no contamination traces of chemicals. The HAZMAT unit also found galvanized materials, baling wire, cans and bottles.

“During the investigation and rehabilitation, the sites of both the inhalation injuries have been cordoned off and secured.

Medical personnel have been advised of the Sheriff’s HAZMAT unit findings,” said a press release issued in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Authorities do not have an idea where the cyanide came from.

Source

Video

From The Los Angeles Times

Officials said 10 firefighters had been taken to a hospital in two separate incidents, in which it appears they had stumbled upon hazardous materials. At one of those sites, health officials detected cyanide and one firefighter remains in the hospital. Officials are still not sure where the cyanide came from.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has said investigators are probing the deaths as homicides. A source told The Times that “material that didn’t belong there” has been found at the site suspected to be where the fire started, a twice-scorched slope cordoned off by crime scene tape near Mile Marker 29 along Angeles Crest Highway.

The source would not identify the suspicious substance but said it was found in the brush off the highway, within walking distance of the turnoff at the center of the arson probe. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it was an ongoing investigation, said the substance was taken to a lab for testing. The material is not a device, according to the source.

Source

Pipe-Bomb Thrown Inside Buffalo Church

A Buffalo church is on alert after a device, believed to be a pipe-bomb, was thrown inside it over-night. No one was hurt, but the pastor of Redeemer Fire Fellowship Church on Lewis Street, says it could have been deadly.

Pastor David Keaton says he got a call from someone last night that his church was on fire,. “So, when I arrived here, it wasn’t necessarily on fire. Someone had broken the side door and thrown a pipe-bomb in,” said Keaton.

Keaton says flame-resistant carpet prevented the fuse from igniting the bomb and catching the church on fire.

Buffalo Police investigators told Keaton if the device would have ignited inside, the damage could have been substantial, “It would have certainly blown all of this glass out, it would have damaged all of this front area…certainly there would have been fire.”

The Catholic Diocese sold the building to Keaton, a Baptist minister, about a month ago. He doesn’t know anyone who would want to hurt him or the church, “Don’t want to say a hate crime, don’t want to say terrorist, don’t want to make it a race issue, or religious issue.”

Read Full Article

4 Tons of Fertilizer Stolen In Frederick Maryland

UPDATE: The Frederick Police Department says they have surveillance tape of the theft and believe a white man between the ages of 45 and 50 may be the suspect.

Investigators believe the theft occurred on Sunday afternoon.

The contents of the fertilizer have the police concerned that it could be used for making a bomb.

The thief stole two types of fertilizer: Triple 19 and Urea.  Police say the Urea is more dangerous of the two because it contains hydrogen.

“We want to make sure that we covered all bases.  We want to make sure that the Frederick community understands that we are following through as far as we can possible go with FBI and other agencies,” said Lt. Clark Pennington with the Frederick Police Department.

Frederick police say four tons of fertilizer have been stolen from a farm supply store.

A store representative told police that 2,000 pounds of urea and 6,000 pounds of other fertilizer are missing. The fertilizer was in white 50-pound bags with a company logo.

Lt. Clark Pennington says they don’t know what the motive behind the theft is, but they have notified the Maryland Coordination Analysis Center, which alerts all federal agencies of the theft.

FBI, ATF Investigate Germantown Wal-Mart Chemical Incident

FBI lab test results are expected next week as the investigation continues into the chemical spill at a Wal-Mart store in Germantown.

The FBI is trying to identify a substance found at the store last Thursday. Germantown’s chief said they’re not sure it’s the source of the fumes or if a crime occurred, but they’d rather be safe than sorry.

“Do you have any hard evidence at the moment that it’s a crime?” 12 News reporter Colleen Henry asked. Read more

Obama Assassination Attempt Thwarted By Authorities

Two men have been charged for making threats against Barack Obama after federal agents say they broke up a skinhead plot to assassinate the U.S. presidential candidate and decapitate more than 100 others.

Federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school by two skinheads in court records unsealed Monday.

Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tennessee and Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena, Arkansas were charged last Friday.

“The allegations set forth are serious and will be treated as such, ” Lawrence J. Laurenzi said in a news release. “The public can rest assured that federal, state, and local law enforcement are diligently working together to investigate and prosecute the alleged activity.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Western Tennessee, Cowart and Schlesselman met online through a mutual friend and both claim to have very strong beliefs regarding “White Power” and “Skinhead” philosophy.

Their chats intensified and their scheme took shape, according to a sworn statement by ATF agent Brian A. Weeks.

Using a .308-caliber rifle and a high-powered weapon they planned to steal from a gun store, the men plotted to “drive their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows,” the affidavit said. “Both individuals stated they would dress in all white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt.”

Cowart traveled from Tennessee to Arkansas to pick up Schlesselman at his residence Oct. 20. From there, they planned to rob a gun shop, target a predominately African-American school and ultimately attack Obama, who is leading in most national polls in his bid for the White House.

The court documents say the two men met about a month ago on the internet and found common ground in their shared “white power” and “skinhead” philosophy.

The records say Cowart and Schlesselman also bought nylon rope and ski masks to use in a robbery or home invasion to take money to finance their spree, during which they allegedly planned to go from state to state and kill people.

For the Obama plot, the legal documents show, Cowart and Schlesselman “planned to drive their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows”. Both men stated they would dress in white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt.

The arrests have put election officials across the country on edge amid fears that other groups may be plotting similar actions.