Michael Christopher Estes, 46, allegedly planted an explosives-filled Mason jar at Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina
A man planted a Mason jar filled with explosive chemicals and nails at a western North Carolina airport last week and vowed to ‘fight a war on U.S. soil,’ according to court documents released Tuesday.
Investigators found the improvised explosive device on Friday at the Asheville airport near a terminal entrance, the criminal complaint written by an FBI agent reads. Asheville police bomb technicians then rendered it safe.
The complaint accuses Michael Christopher Estes of attempted malicious use of explosive materials and unlawful possession of explosives at an airport.
Estes was arrested Saturday, and the complaint says he admitted leaving the explosive device at the airport.
The complaint states that Estes ‘claimed he was getting ready to “fight a war on U.S. soil,”‘ but did not elaborate on this alleged motive.
He was being held at the Buncombe County jail without bond after a brief court hearing Tuesday.
Jail records list him as a 46-year-old Native American.
Police arrived on the scene on Friday after the improvised explosive device was found. Estes, a criminal report reads, ‘claimed he was getting ready to “fight a war on U.S. soil,”‘
A federal public defender assigned to the case, Fredilyn Sison, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Court documents say authorities found the improvised explosive device around 6.30am Friday at Asheville Regional Airport, WLOS reported.
The investigation revealed it contained ammonium nitrate, Sterno fuel, nails and a .410 gauge Winchester shotgun cartridge.
An alarm clock was taped to the outside of the jar with matches attached to the arm that strikes the bells, according to court documents. The alarm had been set for Friday.
Estes was caught on surveillance cameras purchasing explosives. Some were purchased at Walmart and Lowe’s
Surveillance video showed Estes dressed in black pants, a jacket and black hat approaching the terminal entrance shortly after 12.30am Friday and appearing to leave behind a bag, the FBI agent wrote.
In nearby woods, investigators later found a backpack and tool kit containing similar items to what was used in the explosive device: tape, Sterno fuel and more shotgun shells.
Investigators determined such items had been purchased at nearby stores, including a Walmart and a Lowe’s, earlier in the week, providing more surveillance video, The Citizen-Times reports.
Authorities released a photograph made from the video, and tips from the public led them to Estes, who was arrested Saturday near one of the stores.
The complaint said Estes waived his Miranda rights, answering questions and admitting to building and planting the device.
‘Estes described how he created the device…and then rigged the alarm clock to strike the matches and cause the flame necessary to trigger the device,’ the complaint states.
‘More specifically, the alarm clock would go off, the matches would strike, the Sterno would heat up, and then the Ammonium Nitrate would explode.’
However, Estes also claimed that he had not actually set the device to go off, the complaint says.
He told investigators that he had staged himself in the woods near the airport in the days before planting the device.
A man who answered the phone at a listing for Estes in Tazewell, Tennessee, said he did not know the suspect.
The complaint states that Estes ‘described how he created the device…and then rigged the alarm block to strike the matches and cause the flame necessary to trigger the device’. Pictured is a police officer on the scene