An Alabama man suspected of detonating an explosive device outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office was arrested Wednesday.
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, was charged with malicious use of an explosive and possession of an unregistered destructive device, the Department of Justice press release states.
BREAKING: 26-yr-old Kyle Calvert of Irondale arrested, charged w/ 2 felony counts for explosive left outside @AGSteveMarshall’s office in February. He faces 30 years in prison if convicted on both charges. @abc3340 pic.twitter.com/PP3M7PyOUH
— Stephen Quinn (@StephenQ3340) April 10, 2024
The device detonated at approximately 3:42 a.m. Feb. 24 outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office by the Washington Avenue and South Bainbridge Street intersection, the press release states. No one was injured and nearby buildings were undamaged, according to the press release.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency troopers and agents, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agents and Montgomery Police Department officers began investigating the incident after the device’s remnants were unearthed, the press release states. (RELATED: Pipe Bombs Were Planted Night Before Capitol Riot, FBI Says)
Kyle Douglas Calvert was arrested Wednesday for his reported role in detonating an improvised explosive device at the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in late February, according to court records.https://t.co/Anh1XTz5Mq
— Gillian Brooks (@GillianBNews) April 10, 2024
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama unsealed the case Wednesday, according to the press release.
Court documents showed the device was an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), a “coffee container-like vessel which contained insulation material soaked in a gasoline or lighter fluid substance, a mortar, firecrackers and nails,” ABC 33/40 reports.
The court documents state that activist stickers found in the same area on and around the Alabama Statehouse were placed by the same person who did the bombing, extensive surveillance footage revealed, AL.com reports.
The stickers found included the statements “SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ANTIFA,” a rainbow flag stating “ANTI-FASCISM IS COMMUNITY SELF-DEFENSE,” an AK-47 rifle superimposed over the words “DEFEND NATURE” and many more of a similar bent, all of which investigators found Calvert discussed on social media video, according to AL.com. (RELATED: Antifa Summer Camp For Fourth Graders Teaches About Counteracting Tear Gas)
“Federal, state, and local law enforcement agents worked tirelessly to investigate this matter,” Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama stated in the press release. “The arrest today is a reflection of the way in which close cooperation among law enforcement agencies facilitates the pursuit of justice. I am grateful for the efforts of all involved.”
If convicted, Calvert faces a penalty of five to 20 years in prison. He also faces a fine for malicious damage by explosives, 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for possession of an unregistered destructive device, ABC 33/40 reports.
