CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte man is under investigation after federal agents accused him of gathering materials to make chemical bombs in his south Charlotte apartment.
On Jan. 8, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police were contacted by a man who was concerned about his roommate's recent behavior. The man told detectives that his roommate was making bombs in their apartment, according to an affidavit obtained by WCNC Charlotte. No charges have been filed in the case at this time.
During an interview with police, the man told police his roommate asked him to purchase some chemicals online for him. The man allegedly asked his roommate to buy them because "he knew that ordering a certain amount would get him on the FBI list." A few weeks later, he showed his roommate a disc-like device in their backyard. The device emitted smoke and was described by the accused as a "poor man's tear gas grenade."
On Jan. 9, CMPD responded to an accidental shooting at the apartment that injured the man under investigation. The suspected shooter told police he'd been "field stripping" an AR-style rifle when it accidentally went off. He gave officers permission to enter the home. As they entered the apartment, CMPD officers found a workshop area with several shelves full of rifles, pistol magazines, tactical gear and the rifle from the shooting. The accused man's fiancee told police they were lying in their bedroom upstairs when she heard a pop and he was shot in the back.
Following this incident, CMPD detectives contacted the FBI and shared the information they'd received from the roommate prior to the shooting. Within a week, the FBI contacted the accused man's roommate and interviewed him about purchasing the chemicals and the disc-looking device he'd been shown in August.
During that interview, the roommate said the accused man ordered books online about homemade explosives and he told agents he had photos of a device his roommate built. A few days later, the roommate met with the FBI and said he thought the accused intended to use it in public. He also brought an incendiary device that was made months prior to show detectives. An FBI bomb technician determined the device was potassium perchlorate, which can form an explosive mixture with certain combustible materials.
The man told FBI agents that he was with his roommate when he made more incendiary devices and said he already had the chemical compound mixed. He told the FBI he didn't know where or when his roommate got the chemicals for this device but claimed that he saw him assemble it. He also shared photos of several books he'd seen him reading about military tactics and explosives.
During the interview, the man told detectives he believes there were approximately nine or 10 devices inside their apartment and told the FBI where they were located. He then gave consent for them to search the apartment. The CMPD bomb squad searched the home on or around Jan. 19 and seized seven identical devices to the one taken to the FBI for the interview.
In addition to those devices, CMPD found seven firearms, two pounds of Tannerite, which is a binary explosive, and various chemicals. Bomb squad agents tested those chemicals and they reacted consistently with chemicals used to make explosives.
The next day, the FBI executed a search warrant at the apartment and found materials consistent with the roommate's interview. They also found materials used to build bombs, including masking tape, rubber bands, matches, fuse cords and other chemicals.
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