Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, a 26-year-old resident of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty to the malicious use of an explosive device in a federal court, according to a Friday press release from the Department of Justice.
Calvert admitted to detonating a shrapnel-filled bomb outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in downtown Montgomery February 24, 2024. No injuries were reported, according to the press release.
Calvert assembled the bomb himself, using nails, screws and accelerants to maximize the explosion’s impact. Prior to the attack, he placed stickers with various political messages, including some that supported Antifa, on several state buildings, according to court documents. Calvert denies any affiliation with Antifa, however. (RELATED: Woman With Antifa Affiliation Found Guilty Of Riot Charge: REPORT)
The stickers featured statements such as “SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ANTIFA” and “ANTI-FASCISM IS COMMUNITY SELF-DEFENSE.”
“This defendant built a bomb using nails and screws as shrapnel and detonated it outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, endangering a public institution and members of the community,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, who also remarked that “Public servants should never be targeted for doing their jobs.”
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert of Irondale, Alabama, who built and detonated a bomb outside the offices of the Alabama Attorney General, entered a guilty plea in federal court. Calvert admitted to building the bomb and using nails and screws as shrapnel.https://t.co/eves1Iq96L
— Melissa (@Proudmimi12) August 24, 2024
FBI Director Christopher Wray echoed Garland’s sentiments, stating, “Violence and destruction of property will never be tolerated, and the FBI and our partners will continue to work together to ensure anyone who attempts to harm or intimidate the community will be held accountable.”
Calvert’s sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled. He faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison. The case continues to be investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the ATF .