SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� A man carrying what authorities described as an explosive device powerful enough to damage a plane, as well as a torch lighter, knife, zip ties and other items, was arrested after trying to pass through a Sacramento International Airport over the weekend, federal prosecutors said.
The 49-year-old from Sacramento was wearing a scarf covering his face and latex gloves, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a news release. He also had five cell phones: one with a 15-minute timer set to begin, a second with a message on the screen from another phone number saying, 鈥渨e will be awaiting your call.鈥�
Evidence photos released by prosecutors show a cardboard tube about the size of a toilet paper roll fitted with a green fuse. Bomb technicians tested the device. The powder and fuse 鈥渨ere determined to be viable and energetic,鈥� Grant said.
If the device had detonated next to a window on a pressurized aircraft flying above 10,000 feet (3 kilometers), Grant said, 鈥渋t had the potential to damage the aircraft and cause a possible loss of cabin pressure.鈥�
The man was arrested Saturday and appeared in federal court in Sacramento on Wednesday. He is charged with unlawful possession of explosive material in an airport.
His public defender, Meghan McLoughlin, said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that 鈥渢here is often more to these cases than the government鈥檚 allegations, and that the criminal process will reveal鈥� her client鈥檚 story as well.
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