An Alabama man with apparent Antifa sympathies was arrested Wednesday for allegedly detonating an explosive device outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, was charged with malicious use of an explosive and possession of an unregistered destructive device, the Department of Justice press release states. The court documents state that activist stickers found in the same area on and around the Alabama Statehouse were placed by the same person who did the bombing, extensive surveillance footage revealed, AL.com reports.
The stickers found included the statements “SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ANTIFA,” a rainbow flag stating “ANTI-FASCISM IS COMMUNITY SELF-DEFENSE,” an AK-47 rifle superimposed over the words “DEFEND NATURE” and many more of a similar bent, all of which investigators found Calvert discussed on social media video, according to AL.com.
In a video shared on his TikTok page Jan. 10, Calvert showed off stickers “of identical design to the stickers placed by the subject in and around the Alabama Statehouse and downtown Montgomery,” and stickers that read “Smash the patriarchy,” “Anti-fascism is community defense,” and “Queer liberation, not rainbow capitalism,” according to court documents.
“I am impulsive by nature in some way that can often be violent, or my impulses are violent,” Calvert said in the video.
In a Dec. 12, 2023, TikTok video, Calvert said, “I don’t understand how fucking politicians do this shit. How the fuck are people okay with this shit?,” according to court documents. “How the fuck are we not killing the government right now! Fuck!” he allegedly said.
@ecto_42 Im slowly going insane
@ecto_42 Replying to @Gem 💎💕 ♬ original sound – Kai🐝⚰️
@ecto_42 It literally had the tone of a Dropout CEO video. They made a joke about a company that literally kills people to get rid of problems. Also, many of the people they were like “We’ll just lill them,” were disabled people, so they draw you in with that. It infuriated me that they didnt want to talk about police violence, or war, or the gen*c*des in 🍉 or the DRC. They just wanted to talk about death not being ethical when it’s a person’s autonomous choice to die, or when its someone’s autonomous choice to not die and not bring life into this world, instead of talking about how the US and Isntreal are currently commiting literal war crimes on innocent civilians. Also no mention of mutual aid, no mention if ither policies, no mention of socializing healthcare. #socialism #noonesfreeuntileveryoneis #leftist ♬ original sound – Kai🐝⚰️
BREAKING: 26-yr-old Kyle Calvert of Irondale arrested, charged w/ 2 felony counts for explosive left outside @AGSteveMarshall’s office in February. He faces 30 years in prison if convicted on both charges. @abc3340 pic.twitter.com/PP3M7PyOUH
— Stephen Quinn (@StephenQ3340) April 10, 2024
The device detonated at approximately 3:42 a.m. Feb. 24 outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office by the Washington Avenue and South Bainbridge Street intersection, the press release states. No one was injured and nearby buildings were undamaged, according to the press release.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency troopers and agents, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agents and Montgomery Police Department officers began investigating the incident after the device’s remnants were unearthed, the press release states. (RELATED: Pipe Bombs Were Planted Night Before Capitol Riot, FBI Says)
Kyle Douglas Calvert was arrested Wednesday for his reported role in detonating an improvised explosive device at the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in late February, according to court records.https://t.co/Anh1XTz5Mq
— Gillian Brooks (@GillianBNews) April 10, 2024
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama unsealed the case Wednesday, according to the press release.
Court documents showed the device was an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), a “coffee container-like vessel which contained insulation material soaked in a gasoline or lighter fluid substance, a mortar, firecrackers and nails,” ABC 33/40 reports.
“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 stated in the 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.”
If convicted, Calvert faces a penalty of five to 20 years in prison. He also faces a fine for malicious damage by explosives, 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for possession of an unregistered destructive device, ABC 33/40 reports.