The FBI arrested two men over the weekend after they allegedly placed an incendiary device under a local FOX affiliate’s vehicle in Utah.
The device was discovered beneath a FOX 13 Salt Lake City news vehicle in the suburb of Magna on Friday, and investigators determined that it failed to detonate after being lit. The suspects are Adeeb Nasir, 58, and Adil Justice Ahmed Nasir, 31. The men were booked into Salt Lake County Jail on Sunday and are being held without bail.
They were charged with threat of terrorism, possessing weapons of mass destruction, aggravated arson, and possessing explosive devices. Adeeb Nasir was born in Pakistan and is an American citizen, according to his booking information. The name “Eddie Nash” is listed as an alias.
“Due to the nature of the device and its placement, this incident constituted a significant threat to public safety,” Unified Fire Authority Investigations officer Jeffrey David Nelson said in an affidavit, according to CBS News.
During a raid of the suspects’ home on Saturday, the FBI, Salt Lake City Police Department, and the bomb squad, law enforcement “observed additional contraband and evidence of crimes outside the scope of the original warrant, to include firearms and firearm-related items, explosives and explosive-related components, illegal narcotics and associated paraphernalia,” according to Fox13.
Neither men were supposed to own firearms due to previous drug use, according to court orders.
“The FBI discovered what appeared to be potentially hazardous materials that could pose a threat to public safety,” the FBI, which is leading the investigation, told ABC News.
FOX 13 Station Manager Leona Wood said that the outlet was “working closely with law enforcement and our risk management team, with the safety of our employees as our top priority.”
The incendiary device was found about 47 miles away from Orem, Utah, where conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday. Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested and is expected to face charges of aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm. Robinson’s arrest was announced Friday by FBI Director Kash Patel and Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox.
