California man attempts to board plane with explosive, 5 phones and a very ominous text
Los Angeles Times • • business
Key Points:
- A 49-year-old man, Kimani Osayande Jones, was arrested at Sacramento International Airport after TSA agents found a knife, bladed weapons, zip ties, a butane torch lighter, and a homemade explosive device in his carry-on bag.
- The bag also contained five cellphones with painter’s tape over the cameras; one phone had a 15-minute timer set, and another displayed a threatening message from an unknown number.
- Jones was charged with unlawfully possessing explosive material in an airport and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
- The improvised explosive device was safely removed and rendered harmless by FBI and Sheriff’s bomb technicians, with tests confirming the device was viable and could have caused significant damage if detonated mid-flight.
- Jones has a history of paranoia, having made multiple calls to the FBI this year claiming he was threatened and followed, and referenced using his 2nd Amendment rights to defend himself against perceived threats.