TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A 60-year-old U.S. Army veteran faces up to 10 years in prison on charges that he placed an improvised explosive device at a Florida Veterans Affairs hospital.
A federal criminal complaint says Mark Edward Allen made his initial appearance in court Tuesday and is being detained.
A U.S. attorney’s office news release says the device was placed at the hospital near Tampa on May 29. The FBI, Tampa police and other law enforcement agencies responded and a bomb squad determined the device contained a 9-volt battery, electrical wires, an improvised initiator, unknown powder and a clothespin switch.
Two days later, someone called law enforcement to report that Allen had been making devices in his home. The FBI determined Allen was responsible for both devices.
A lawyer isn’t listed for Allen.
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