A militia leader from Utah who also participated in Cliven Bundy's standoff with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) agents in 2014 was arrested yesterday after detonating a bomb at a BLM facility on the border of Utah and Arizona.
Fortunately, the bomb he detonated was a fake provided to him by undercover FBI agents who were embedded with his militia.
William Keebler, 57, was charged Wednesday with one count of attempted damage to federal property by means of fire and explosives. He is the self-described leader of the “Patriot’s Defense Force.” Federal prosecutors accuse him of putting an explosive device at a Bureau of Land Management building in Mt. Trumbull, Ariz. [...]
The FBI put undercover agents in Keebler’s militia, agents wrote in an affidavit attached to the charges. They participated in “field training exercises” organized by Keebler, and were planning for “going on the offensive.”
Keebler allegedly placed the fake bomb in the BLM facility on Tuesday and tried to detonate it. He was arrested the following day. Keebler has been officially charged with one count of "attempted damage to federal property by means of fire and explosives."
Yes, that is a legit photo of Keebler from the Salt Lake City Tribune. The Tribune has more details which apparently includes a plot to also bomb law enforcement officers.
He wanted two bombs — one which he would detonate near one of the cabins at the Mount Trumbull facility and the other to use against law enforcement if they were stopped driving to or from Mount Trumbull.
Keebler planted the device — which unknown to him was inert — late Tuesday. He tried multiple times to remotely detonate the device, charging documents state, before departing. He was arrested Wednesday morning in Nephi by the FBI.
The uncover operation was led by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force in Salt Lake City.
This will not be the last time we see this and next time it may not be a fake bomb. There's no telling what devilry the nomination of Donald Trump will unleash not just this year but in the coming years.