Federal authorities said that five men have been arrested in an alleged plot to blow up a bridge near Cleveland.
The FBI said Tuesday there was no danger to the public because the explosive devices were inoperable and were controlled by an undercover FBI employee.
The men were arrested Monday on charges of conspiracy and trying to use explosives to damage property affecting interstate commerce. They range in age from 20 and 35.
Authorities said that at least three of the men were self-described anarchists and are not tied to international terrorism.
The FBI said that the target of the plot was a bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the Brecksville area, roughly 15 miles south of downtown Cleveland.
10 Investigates obtained a copy of the warrant Tuesday.
According to the warrant, undercover agents sold a group of anarchists fake explosives. FBI officials said that the intent of the anti-business group was death and destruction, 10 Investigates’ Paul Aker reported.
FBI officials said that the men bought eight bricks of fake C-4 explosives for $50 each.
The warrant stated that the men had a hard time deciding on a particular target, discussing bank buildings, ships and what they thought were Ku Klux Klan locations in Lodi and Wooster, Aker reported.
“The defendants went to the bridge last night,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said. “The defendants planted the explosives at the bridge. The defendants armed the explosives. The defendants then left and went to a remote (place), and they then sitting there, entered the codes they thought would blow up a bridge with innocent people traveling over it.”
Chicago TV station WLS reported that one of the defendants, Douglas Wright, predicted the violence would incite others to act, saying that they would leave “a pile of rubble and ashes.”
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5 Arrested In Alleged Cleveland Bombing Plot
Five men are arrested in connection with a plot to bomb a bridge outside of Cleveland. Click on the headline to read the story and watch 10TV News HD beginning at noon.