SALT LAKE CITY — Two men were arrested after police found an explosive device under a news media vehicle on Friday.
Adeeb Nasir, 58, and Adil Justice Ahmed Nasir, 31, were both arrested for investigation of manufacturing or possessing a weapon of mass destruction, threat of terrorism, attempted aggravated arson, and possessing or removing incendiary items and their parts, according to a police booking affidavit.
Fox13 said Sunday night the incendiary device was placed under one of their vehicles.
“FOX 13 News is working closely with law-enforcement and our risk management team, with the safety of our employees as our top priority,” said FOX 13 Station Manager Leona Wood.
The Salt Lake City Police Department Bomb Squad and the Unified Fire Authority Arson/Bomb Squad responded to a suspicious device on Friday in Salt Lake City.
Police say they found the device placed under a news media vehicle parked next to an occupied building and determined it to be a real explosive device. It “had been lit but failed to function as designed,” according to the affidavit.
The document did not give an address for the building, nor did it have information on what bomb experts did to defuse the device.
The two suspects were located in Magna after the FBI assumed primary jurisdiction. Agents served a federal search warrant at the residence of the suspects on Saturday, police documents indicate.
Inside, authorities found both suspects, “two hoax weapons of mass destruction,” two firearms and illegal narcotics, according to the documents.
The suspects said that the devices were real when asked about them, and police documents stated that law enforcement then evacuated the residence to “initiate disposal procedures.” Nearby residences were also evacuated.
Police requested that the suspects be held without bail to prevent further threats to the public.
The FBI seized evidence related to the explosive devices from the Salt Lake City scene and evidence of other crimes, according to the affidavit. That evidence included firearms, explosives and related components, illegal narcotics and electronic devices, the document says.