Michael Christopher Estes; North Carolina Airport bomber

The Associated Press reports that 46-year-old Michael Christopher Estes planted a bomb fortified with nail shrapnel in the Asheville, North Carolina Airport in order to “fight a war on U.S. soil”, for some reason. He’d been out of prison eight days after serving only seven days of a 10-21 month sentence for an attempted assault earlier this year;

Cherokee Indian Police Department officers said in incident reports that Estes chased the man into his house trailer on July 31, 2015, with a 16-inch knife and hatchet, the newspaper reported. The victim reportedly suffered cuts to his right temple, one his left check from his mouth to his ear lobe, and his left tricep. He also suffered a puncture wound to his chest, according to the reports.

The attack came 17 days after Estes was arrested and charged with breaking and entering and larceny, Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran said.

Estes was caught on video surveillance of the airport while he planted his IED to detonate when the early morning crowd arrived at the airport;

The bomb contained ammonium nitrate, Sterno fuel, nails and a .410 gauge Winchester shotgun cartridge, authorities said. Estes waived his Miranda rights, answering questions and admitting to building and planting the device, the criminal complaint said.

From the Asheville Citizen-Times;

The device was a Mason-type jar with a lid locked down, the complaint states. It had prills, described as “pellets or solid globules of a substance formed by the congealing of a liquid during processing,” inside the jar and two plastic cups containing an unknown liquid substance authorities believe to be the fuel source.

Once ammonium nitrate forms into prills, it can absorb the fuel oil needed for an explosion, the complaint states. The clock within the device was set to go off at 6 a.m.

Category: Crime