Duplin County man indicted for teaching others how to make explosives to murder law enforcement
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WITN) - A Duplin County man has been charged in an indictment for teaching another person how to make and use an explosive, knowing that person intended to use the knowledge to murder law enforcement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 38-year-old Christopher Arthur, of Mount Olive, was arrested on Jan. 22nd, 2022 and presented before a magistrate Monday.
Federal prosecutors say that according to court documents, the FBI got information that a person was trying to organize and recruit for a militia group ready to engage against the federal government. On May 27th, 2020, that person was stopped by law enforcement in New York and shot and killed during a two-hour police pursuit and exchange of gunfire.
The court documents say that when law enforcement searched the dead person’s vehicle, they found three improvised explosive devices. At his home, several other IEDs and guns were found, along with tactical instructional manuals authored by Arthur, from Tackleberry Solutions (a self-declared educational company for wartime military tactics for home defense).
Federal prosecutors say the dead man’s phone revealed that he had attended training with Arthur at Tackleberry Solutions in Mount Olive in March of 2020.
The attorney’s office says on May 5th, 2021, Arthur explained to people how to make and use IEDs throughout one’s property and how to not be arrested after killing law enforcement members. Prosecutors say he explained all this after learning the person meant to kill federal law enforcement who might come to his home.
We’re told that after Arthur gave the instructions about IEDs, tripwire switches, and improvised initiators, he gave the explosives to the person he was teaching.
After Arthur was arrested, the attorney’s office says they found several IEDs, an IED striker plate, an electronic IED trigger, other explosive components, a pistol suppressor, bulk gunpowder, and mixed Tannerite explosives at his home.
According to these charges, the defendant provided someone with training on explosive devices knowing that person intended to use that information to murder or attempt the murder of law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said.
Arthur is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if convicted.
More details can be found here.
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