An Alabama man was arrested Wednesday and charged with detonating an explosive device outside the state attorney general's office in Montgomery earlier this year, according to the Department of Justice.
Kyle B.D. Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, is charged with malicious use of explosives and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to documents unsealed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. He was charged with two crimes.
Prosecutors said Calvert detonated the device outside the attorney general's office in downtown Montgomery in the early morning hours of February 24, the Justice Department said in a news release. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.
“There were no reports of injuries or significant damage to nearby buildings,” the department said, noting that federal and state law enforcement found “remains of equipment” when they arrived at the scene.
The news release did not describe the explosive device or say what authorities believe was the motive for the explosion.
Court documents were not immediately available Wednesday afternoon, and it was unclear whether Calvert had an attorney. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for documents.
“The Department of Justice will not tolerate acts of violence targeting those who serve the public,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a news release.
The outburst comes after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are legally considered children, prompting Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall to seek IVF donors and treatment. It happened a day after he announced he would not pursue charges against the family.
Marshall said in a statement Wednesday that he and his staff “breathed a collective sigh of relief this morning as we learned this individual was taken off the streets.”
He added: “I think it's safe to say this was not a random act of violence.”
