A 28-year-old man was arrested Friday in connection with the making of two small pipe bombs, one of which detonated on the porch of a College Park home on Tuesday causing minor damage.
Following leads from Tuesday’s minor explosion, county and federal investigators arrested John Frank Jenkins, of the 9000 block of Rhode Island Avenue, and charged him with two felony counts of manufacture or possession of a destructive device after finding a second device in a nearby van.
Investigators believe Mr. Jenkins “manufactured and used these devices as a weapon” as part of “other ongoing criminal activity,” Prince George’s County fire department spokesman Mark Brady said. On Friday, officials gave no further indication what that other type of criminal activity was suspected.
Officials said that the investigation into the case is ongoing and that additional charges could be filed.
On Tuesday, a small pipe bomb exploded on the front porch of a home in the 8800 block of 48th Avenue in College Park just before 2 a.m. Investigators did not say how Mr. Jenkins became a suspect in that case. But early Friday, officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; and county fire and police departments located a similar small bomb in van parked in the 5000 block of Edgewood Road in College Park. A bomb squad disabled the device.
Later that morning, officials secured a search warrant for Mr. Jenkins home, which was located near the site where the van was parked. No additional devices were found at his home.
“It’s possible that this is more widespread than College Park,” Mr. Brady said of the continued investigation into the incidents.
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Andrea Noble is a crime and public safety reporter for The Washington Times. She can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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