An Alabama man charged with detonating explosives outside the Alabama Attorney General’s office pleaded guilty Friday.
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty in federal court to “malicious use” of explosives, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said. said in a release.
“The defendant used nails and screws as shrapnel to create a bomb and detonated it outside the Alabama Attorney General’s office, endangering the public and the community,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Public servants should not be targeted for simply performing their duties.”
Calvert detonated an explosive device outside Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office in downtown Montgomery, Alabama, in the early morning hours of February 24. No one was injured in the explosion, and police did not find the explosive device until February 26.
Police were called to the office to report a suspicious package they determined to be an explosive. The incident occurred about a week after the Alabama Supreme Court handed down a controversial ruling that said frozen embryos should be considered children, temporarily halting in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments in the state.
Before setting up the devices, Calvert placed stickers with various graphics advocating “various political ideologies,” including “Support your local Antifa,” on various buildings across the state, according to the Justice Department.
Calvert, who denied any affiliation with Antifa, was arrested on April 10, police said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Calvert had pleaded guilty, adding that “violence and destruction of property will never be tolerated.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date, but Calvert faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice said.
The Hill has reached out to Marshall’s office for comment.
