FBI Announces $20,000 Reward for Information Regarding Osage Baptist Church IED Incident

LITTLE ROCK—Randall C. Coleman, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the state of Arkansas, announced today that the FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for the following incident:

As the Carroll County community is aware, on Wednesday, June 9, 2010, an improvised explosive device (IED) was found near the Osage Baptist Church in Osage, Arkansas. The device was found by church employees who were cleaning the church following run-off elections, held there the previous day. The church was used as a polling place by local residents during the election. The Bentonville Police Bomb Squad responded to the location at the request of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department and rendered the IED safe. This explosive device had been constructed in a 12-ounce Pepsi Cola can.

The FBI and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office are investigating this case and seeking new information. As some investigations take several twists and turns before they are ultimately solved, sometimes an innocuous, small bit of information can be the piece of evidence needed to make the case.

The construction of the device in this case was very sophisticated. We believe whoever is responsible for this act had a message to send to the community and to law enforcement. Although the subject’s knowledge of bomb-making and electronics was apparent, and he took steps to protect himself during the construction and placement of the device, we cannot emphasize enough the risk inherent with constructing and transporting IEDs. Explosives by their nature are sensitive materials, and there is a risk that this subject’s materials could be found by a family member, child, co-worker, or acquaintance who could be severely injured.

Though we remain confident that we will identify this subject, we remind the public of the danger he poses to our community—not only to potential intended targets but also to others who may know him who are exposed to his explosive materials. He is likely from this area, either currently or in his past. People around here know him. Experts have offered the following traits and characteristics likely related to this offender. We will not reveal every aspect of our assessment, but people who know this subject may notice these traits:

He is skilled in electronics and possesses above-average knowledge of circuitry. He is skilled working with small projects and models. These skills may have come from his previous technical training, employment, or hobbies.

He may have displayed these skills in previous crafts or projects with pyrotechnics (fireworks). He may be known as someone who can repair electrical problems. He may have used these skills to play pranks on others in the past. In fact, some of these pranks may have been motivated by revenge. He may display the attitude of, “I don’t get mad; I get even.” Additionally, he may have committed acts of vandalism with pyrotechnic/explosive devices. He will need an area that affords him privacy to experiment with and build his devices. This will likely be an area in his residence or place of employment, where he can work undisturbed and in secret. Items he may keep in this area include the following: circuit boards; batteries; wires; ammunition; pyrotechnic powder and fuses; electronic switches; springs; glue/adhesives; and tools necessary for his craft to include wire cutters, tweezers, and a Dremel tool. It is likely that he has experimented with explosives and pyrotechnics; those living around him may have heard explosions or sounds like gunfire near his residence or in nearby rural areas.

We are asking if anyone has any information that might be related to this matter to contact us via any of the following means: Carroll County Sheriff’s Office at (870) 423-2901 or the FBI’s Little Rock Office at (501) 221-9100. Regardless of how insignificant you think your information might be, or whether or not you think we already are aware of it, please let us assess the relevance of your tip. Also, please do not discount someone you may suspect if he does not fit all the traits and characteristics listed above. We remind the public of the reward of $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for this incident.