Two men were arrested Sunday after authorities discovered an incendiary device placed beneath a Fox 13 News vehicle in Salt Lake City, officials and media reports said.
Bomb squads with the Salt Lake City Police Department and the Unified Fire Authority responded on Friday to reports of a suspicious device. Investigators determined an incendiary device had been placed under a vehicle near an occupied building and that the device had been lit but failed to function, according to a probable cause statement reviewed by FOX13. The FBI later joined the investigation.
Authorities obtained and executed a warrant at a home in Magna owned by Adeeb Nasir, 58, where he and 31-year-old Adil Justice Ahmed Nasir were located, the probable cause statement said. Officials reported finding two additional devices inside the residence that later proved to be spoof devices described in arrest records as weapons of mass destruction hoaxes. The suspects initially told authorities the devices were real, prompting evacuations of the residence and surrounding homes while bomb squads worked to render the items safe.
Investigators also reported recovering firearms, additional explosive devices, components related to explosives, illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia inside the home, along with electronic devices believed to contain evidence of the alleged offenses, according to arrest documents cited by local media.
Both men face federal and state charges, including two counts each of possession, manufacture, sale or use of a weapon of mass destruction; attempted aggravated arson; multiple counts of possessing explosive, chemical or incendiary components; and two counts related to threats of terrorism for use of a weapon or hoax of mass destruction, jail records reviewed by media outlets show.
Adeeb Nasir, a U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail and ordered held without bail, according to the records. The custody status and location of Adil Nasir, a Utah native, were not immediately clear.
Footage taken of the property and shown by the targeted outlet displayed political signage, including two flags described by reporters as anti-Trump. One read "Let's go taco," a reference to the political meme TACO ("Trump Always Chickens Out"). Another displayed the phrase "Is he dead yet?" Fox 13 confirmed to media that the outlet and law enforcement were investigating the incident, with a spokesperson saying the network was working closely with authorities and its risk management team and had no information about motive.
Officials have not publicly attributed a motive for the placement of the device. The Salt Lake City Police Department, the Unified Fire Authority and the FBI declined to provide additional details while the investigation continues, and court records and the probable cause statement remain the primary sources for much of the information released so far.
The investigations into the device, the contents of the Magna residence and the origins of the seized items are ongoing. Law enforcement officials typically review electronic evidence, interview potential witnesses and coordinate with federal prosecutors in cases that involve alleged weapons of mass destruction and explosive devices.