A Mason, Ohio man was arrested for allegedly owning a destructive device after investigation into an improvised explosive device (IED) found at a soccer complex led to the discovery of material to make the bomb.
James River Phillips, 20, was arrested Thursday by the FBI Cincinnati Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and charged with possession of an unregistered gun and possession of destructive equipment.
The arrest comes after the task force conducted a federal court order search in Mason that morning.
“The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has arrested James River Phillips, who allegedly owned dangerous and destructive equipment,” said Elena Iatarola, a special agent with the FBI Cincinnati. “The FBI and our partners worked together to ensure that he would stop his actions before there was a risk of public safety.”
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The Ohio man has been accused of owning an unregistered destructive device after an investigation was conducted by the FBI and local police. The photo shows IEDs, detonators, what is thought to be explosive white powder. (Federal affidavit)
According to an affidavit filed against Phillips in Lebanon, Ohio, the officer discovered the IED at a soccer complex around 12:30am on September 22, 2024.
Just before the discovery, officers saw two men in their early 20s leaving the complex’s parking lot in a silver SUV. The driver was described by police as having long curly hair.
Officers have told two men to stop traffic and leave the parking lot after the complex is closed, the affidavit pointed out.
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As the two men leave, officers continue to drive in the parking lot and find the IED where the SUV was parked, court documents alleges.
“The IED had wires running from the pile of white powder to the control switch,” the affidavit states. “When an LPD officer discovered the IED, the control switch had a red light on. After encountering the device, the LPD officer tried to find the two men, but was unable to.
BCBS discovered that the residue on the device contained nickelhydrozine nitric acid and that the white powder contained tetranitrate.
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Photos recovered from iCloud appear to show Phillips making an explosive device in the shed. Photographed on February 26, 2024, Phillips’ iCloud account had three photos that appeared to be showing the explosive device built in the shed. (Federal affidavit)
Testing the IED explosiver exploded and the handheld chemical identification device broke.
With the help of the FBI, investigators used cellular data to track Phillips’ phones into the parking lot between 12:15am and 12:21am.
On December 2, 2024, Phillips reportedly took a photo of his driver’s license. The affidavit said he shows him with the same curls that the officers saw when he met the driver.
Investigators executed a search warrant on the Apple iCloud account associated with the phone, and the video appeared on April 5, 2024, with two unidentified men in a parking lot under the streetlights showing them near portable toilets and a soccer net.
We could hear one of the men count down to one before the explosive device exploded. In another video that appears to be from the same incident, the unidentified man says, “James, we have to go” and “James, come on.”
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Photos of the shed recovered from iCloud show that it contains flow electricity, a rack for glass beakers, a heated magnetic mixer, unknown chemicals and powders. (Federal affidavit)
The video then shows the hole in the ground. This is the result of a previous explosion, investigators say. The two men are seen picking up the remains and the remaining components. GPS data from the video’s metadata shows that the video was filmed in the parking lot of the same soccer complex in Lebanon.
Additional photos and videos of the explosion were reportedly found on iCloud accounts containing car destruction from July 21, 2024.
In one of the videos, Phillips writes that another man holds an explosive device as he counts down from five to one.
“After Phillips pushed the explosive device, a huge explosion is heard in the distance and an unidentified man can say, “Blowing the car over a wooden line,” the affidavit said. “Additional photos and videos taken on July 21, 2024 show photos of the destruction of a car that appears to have been destroyed from the explosion following the explosion.”
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The investigation revealed that Phillips later purchased “precursor chemicals and materials for homemade explosives” and was shipped to Mason’s home and another residence in Oxford.
His iCloud account is also allegedly had recipes and notes on how to build an explosive device, the affidavit alleges.
The photos also say that Phillips is building an explosive device in a shed in the woods.
Phillips is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing on Friday and will remain in custody until then.
