Sun, Jul 05, 2009

Tucson Region

Boy charged with making pipe bombs

By Philip Haldiman
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.31.2008
A 15-year-old boy from McNeal was charged Friday with possession of explosive devices after authorities said he made five pipe bombs and had the materials to make more.
All the materials used were purchased off the Internet, a Cochise County Sheriff's spokeswoman said. The boy's name was not released.
Officials found two pipe bombs in the boy's parents' car and three in the family's house, said Carol Capas of the Cochise County Sheriff's Office. McNeal is north of the border town of Douglas.
Investigators also found materials, including gunpowder, to make more bombs, Capas said. She said the boy learned how to make the explosive devices on the Internet.
The boy's parents were unaware of what their son was doing, Capas said.
Officials received a tip on May 23 about what appeared to be a suspicious item inside a vehicle in Sierra Vista.
A short time later, the vehicle was pulled over by an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer and a sheriff's deputy. Officials determined they were explosive devices.
The boy's parents, who were driving home from Sierra Vista, allowed officials to search their home, where more bombs and bomb materials were discovered, she said.
Capas said there was no indication of the boy's plans for these devices.
The boy was released to his parents, pending a court date.
● Contact reporter Philip Haldiman at 629-9412 or phaldiman.