Man arrested after explosion outside Alabama Attorney General’s office

AG Steve Marshall said the explosion in downtown Montgomery was ‘not a random act of violence’

Attorney General of Alabama Steve Marshall speaks to members of the press after the oral argument of the Merrill v. Milligan case at the U.S. Supreme Court on 4 October 4 2022 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

Alabama’s Attorney General said he and his staff were “breathing a collective sigh of relief” after a man was arrested for allegedly detonating an explosive device outside his office.

The Department of Justice said that Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, of Irondale, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of malicious use of an explosive device and possession of an unregistered destructive device, after the incident in late February.

The 26-year-old allegedly left the device outside Steve Marshall’s office in downtown Montgomery on 24 February, with the explosion happening at around 3.42am.

While there was no damage to the surrounding buildings and no one was harmed, the remains of the device were found on the street.

“My staff and I are breathing a collective sigh of relief this morning knowing that this individual has been taken off the streets,” Attorney General Marshall said in a statement. “Although more information will be provided in the weeks to come, I think it is safe to say that this was not a random act of violence.

“We are grateful to our federal and local partners for their assistance in this matter and are pleased that the offender faces federal charges carrying significant prison time.”

The DOJ said that agents and troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, along with special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and officers from the Montgomery Police Department had all been involved in the investigation.

“Federal, state, and local law enforcement agents worked tirelessly to investigate this matter,” Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama said in a press release.

“The arrest today is a reflection of the way in which close cooperation among law enforcement agencies facilitates the pursuit of justice. I am grateful for the efforts of all involved.”

The explosion came not long after Mr Marshall had announced that his office had no plans to prosecute IVF providers or families seeking treatment, following the ruling by the state’s Supreme Court that classified frozen embryos as unborn children.

However, no suspected motive has been made public so far.

If convicted, Mr Calvert faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with a maximum of 20 years.