Abdullatif Aldosary, a convicted felon who lives in Coolidge, is accused of being the person who detonated an "explosive device" outside the Social Security Administration building in Casa Grande Friday morning, November 30th.
Although a federal complaint doesn't accuse Aldosary of activity related to terrorism -- nor does it define any other possible motive -- the probable-cause affidavit was penned by an FBI agent in the Phoenix division's Joint Terrorism Task Force, and does include a few instances of the word
See also:
-Explosion Reported at Casa Grande Social Security Office
According to the federal complaint, a Casa Grande police officer was driving near the SSA office when the explosion happened, and saw a "dark blue compact car" coming out of an alley behind the building.
Two witnesses -- one of them apparently being the police officer -- gave federal investigators a description of the man leaving the SSA office, and his vehicle. One of those witnesses also caught the license plate number.
SSA employees also caught a glimpse of the car, and told investigators it was on fire "with flames emitting from the front of the vehicle," as it sped away from the office.
Based on the license plate number, that car was determined to be a Hyundai Elantra owned by Aldosary, and police in Coolidge showed up to Aldosary's house, where they arrested Aldosary, who was in the process of washing the car.
An FBI bomb technician determined that the car did have damage that "was likely caused by explosive material," the complaint says.
Neither of the witnesses identified Aldosary in a photo lineup, but neighbors -- who described Aldosary as a "loner" -- said they'd never seen any one else ever enter Aldosary's house or drive his vehicle.
The feds had a search warrant by Friday night, and they found plenty of recipes and materials for explosive devices, the complaint says.
There was a cache of documents hidden behind a photograph on a wall in the house, including "materials and equipment needed to make RDX...homemade nitroglycerine, ammonium nitrate from homemade chemicals, how to make a bomb from homemade chemicals, and recipes from the Anarchists Chemical Cook Book," the complaint says. There were also handwritten notes labeled "Materials Needed," which included a list of things included in the aforementioned recipes. Additionally, investigators found receipts for a nitric-acid solution, and a scale from a chemical-supply store in Phoenix.
Elsewhere, investigators found what appeared to be notes on how to obtain ammonium nitrate -- "a common precursor used in the making of explosives" -- as well as a handgun, a rifle, and varying types of ammunition totaling around 1,200 rounds.
"Extended capacity rifle magazines with approximately 200 rounds of Russian[-]made ball and hollow point ammunition were located within the residence," the complaint notes.
Investigators also recovered Aldosary's bank statements -- he had $21,642.67 in mid-September -- as well as a property-tax statement for the Coolidge home.
Several types of acids and other chemicals were also found at the house.
Although the feds haven't publicly said what type of explosive was used outside the SSA office on Friday, the federal complaint notes -- with no context -- that the explosive named RDX "is stable in storage and is considered one of the most powerful of the military high explosives. RDX is believed to have been used in many bomb plots including terrorist plots."
The last item noted in the complaint that was recovered from Aldosary's home is a set of Google Maps directions from the SSA office to his home -- which was listed as 14 miles, taking about 25 minutes.
The feds did check Aldosary's Social Security Number with the Arizona Department of Economic Security -- the state's social-welfare agency -- but didn't find any records.
There were no injured reported in the explosion, but there was some hefty damage, according to the complaint, including debris that landed more than 100 feet away.
He's being arranged this afternoon, so we'll deliver the update on charges when they come along.
Two additional notes about Aldosary: he did prison time in Arizona on an aggravated-harassment charge, and a neighbor told Fox 10 that he's an Iraqi refugee.
Stay tuned for updates.
