A man from Pickens County, South Carolina, was arrested and charged by state police with a homemade bomb. According to a press release from the State Law Enforcement Division of SC (SLED), 58 years old David Scott Halsey from Easley, SC, has been accused of possessing, manufacturing or transporting a destructive / explosive device with the intent to cause damage, injury or death.
According to a probable cause statement accompanying the arrest warrant, on 2 November 2020 Halsey was in possession of “hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), a known improvised explosive” in such a way “configured to cause damage, injury or death”.
Along with triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and silver acetylide, HMTD is one of three compounds commonly used in improvised explosive devices. It was used by domestic terrorists Ahmad Khan Rahimi in the September 2016 attacks in New York / New Jersey that injured 31 people.
Neither the SLED release nor the arrest warrant provided any information about the device allegedly found in Halsey’s possession – nor did any of the documents offer any idea how he might be planning to use the weapon.
According to our sources, Halsey is the focus of an ongoing federal investigation that could lead to additional charges in the coming days.
In fact, the SLED statement stated that state and local police officers were working “in conjunction with a federal investigation”.
Prosecutors working in the US attorney’s office Peter M. McCoy Jr. declined to comment on the matter, saying it could not “comment or confirm a federal investigation”.
However, several federal law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing investigation and told us that the charges against Halsey were “imminent”.
As with any person accused of committing any crime, Halsey is found not guilty until proven guilty by our criminal justice system or until he can file a lawsuit against the charge brought against him.
Halsey was charged at the Pickens County Detention Center – where he remains in custody until the time of this writing. Your case will be processed by the law firm of the thirteenth circuit of SC Walt Wilkins.
SLED stated that the agency was working in cooperation with officers from the Easley, SC police department and the Pickens County sheriff’s office.
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NEWS RELEASE / WARRANT …
20210118-NR007_PICKENS-COUNTY-MAN-LOADED-WITH-POSSESSION OF AN EXPLOSIVE-01-18-2021
-FITSNews
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