An Irondale man was taken into custody Wednesday on a federal indictment accusing him of detonating an explosive device outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, is charged with malicious use of an explosive and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Charging documents against him say he also placed stickers on state buildings at the same time of the bombing depicting different graphics advocating for various political ideologies.
Some included the phrase “Support your local antifa.”
Antifa, short for Anti-Fascist, does not describe a particular group, but rather describes individuals who adhere to what they consider as “anti-fascist beliefs.”
The term Antifa is often associated with anarchist violent extremists, individuals who, in addition to holding anti-fascist beliefs, are also opposed to capitalism and the current form of the U.S. government and who advocate violence to achieve their goals, the charging documents explain.
The detonation took place in the early-morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 25, near the intersection of Washington Avenue and South Bainbridge Street outside Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office.
No one was injured and no major damage reported in the predawn incident.
Authorities released images of the suspect and the FBI set up a tipline.
Calvert’s arrest was announced Wednesday. Earlier in the day, there had been a heavy law enforcement presence near Fulmar Drive in Irondale.
“My staff and I are breathing a collective sigh of relief this morning knowing that this individual has been taken off the streets,” Marshall said in a prepared statement. “Although more information will be provided in the weeks to come, I think it is safe to say that this was not a random act of violence.”
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, is charged with malicious use of an explosive and possession of an unregistered destructive device.(Federal Court Documents)
Newly unsealed federal court documents chronicle the investigation leading up to Calvert’s arrest.
According to those documents, authorities investigating the explosive device also found stickers that had been placed in the same area and were immediately believed to have been done by the same person who did the bombing.
Surveillance footage showed that at 2:50 a.m., a person wearing a dark jacket, hat, mask and goggles, was seen on video in the area of the Alabama Statehouse.
At 3:03 a.m., the person was observed placing a sticker on the doors of the Alabama State Capitol building.
Then, at 3:35 a.m., the person was seen walking northbound in the area of Washington Avenue and Decatur Street towards the Attorney General’s Office.
At 3:42 a.m., surveillance footage captured a large explosion near the Attorney General’s Office.
At 3:43 a.m, the person was seen walking north on Bainbridge Street towards Monroe Street and away from the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
Several minutes later, at about 3:49 a.m., a security officer working at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) called 911 to report that an explosion had occurred about five minutes prior, at the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and Bainbridge Street.
At 3:54 a.m., a Montgomery police officer arrived in the area. Because of the location of the explosion, the officer was unable to see any evidence of it from his vantage point.
At 4:13 a.m., records state, the officer cleared the call as unfounded.
The damage wasn’t then discovered until Monday morning when workers arrived back to the downtown area to begin the work week.
According to multiple video surveillance captures of the suspect and a thorough analysis of the video images, the subject appeared to be a white male, wearing a black or dark leather-like jacket, with dark colored pants, a gray or tan beanie hat, black or dark leather-like shoes, a blue facemask and goggles with a thick black strap with thick circular lenses.
Investigators used video surveillance footage of the suspect at known locations to estimate that he was about 6-feet, 2-inches tall and slender. He had a unique walk in which his toes pointed inward when he took a step.
The suspect’s walk appeared to be more pronounced on his right side which caused the appearance of a limp when he walked.
Investigators learned that the device was a coffee container-like which contained insulation material soaked in a gasoline or lighter fluid substance, a mortar, firecrackers and nails.
The FBI laboratory report classified the explosive as an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
The general components of an IED consist of an explosive main charge, a fusing system, and sometimes a container and/or fragmentation.
Additional enhancements may be added to an IED to increase its destructive capability and lethality.
The explosive device detonated in the early morning hours of Saturday, Feb. 24, near the intersection of Washington Avenue and South Bainbridge Street.(ALEA)
“This IED used commercially available pyrotechnic fireworks as the main explosive charge, a coffee can as a concealment container, and was enhanced with added fragmentation and ignitable liquids,’’ the FBI agent wrote. “The addition of metal screws, nails, and other hardware to this IED demonstrates weaponization characteristics due to the enhanced fragmentation effect that those materials would create. The addition of ignitable liquids to the IED demonstrates weaponization characteristics due to the enhanced ability for the IED to initiate a fire.”
“The action of placing and initiating the IED on the walkway beside a government building demonstrates that this device was used as a weapon against property and/or to cause injury/death,’’ the agent wrote.
Investigators used multiple surveillance footage to track the suspects path both before and after the bombing. They were also able to identify a likely suspect vehicle as an older Toyota Camry.
Through the use of license plate readers, investigators came across a silver 2008 Toyota Camry which was captured from an License Plate Recognition (LPR) device located in Irondale Feb. 24, at around 5:15 p.m. They noticed that the car had many of the same unique markings – such as decals - other identifying factors.
Investigators further used LPR datap on the night of the explosion to determine the vehicle likely traveled to Montgomery from its registered location which is in Irondale.
On Feb. 23, 2024, at 11:55 p.m., Calvert’s vehicle was captured on an LPR in the area of 23rd Street and 9th Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama. At 12:48 p.m., Calvert’s vehicle was captured on an LPR on County Road 42 near the Shell Gas Station located at 12551 County Road 42, in Jemison.
That location was along I-65 south of Birmingham and approximately a 45-minute drive from downtown Montgomery.
Investigators first saw suspect’s silver vehicle in the downtown area at approximately 2 a.m., which is approximately 72 minutes from when the vehicle was observed on County Road 42.
Video footage of the vehicle in Montgomery around the time of the bombing indicated the license place had been removed, possibly accounting for some of the excess travel time.
Investigators did surveillance on Calvert and the 2008 Silver Toyota Camry both at his Irondale home and elsewhere.
Investigators also used social media as part of the probe. On one of Calvert’s accounts, the agent wrote, they found an image of Calvert wearing goggles identical to the goggles worn by the suspect who detonated the explosives and placed the political stickers in Montgomery.
Also on social media, agents found a Jan. 10 video of him detailing his purchase of a set of stickers from a company based in Australia.
‘’In the video,” the agent wrote, “Calvert displayed the stickers one-by-one and discussed them.”
“Investigators reviewed this video and recognized at least 16 stickers which were of identical design to the stickers placed by the subject in and around the Alabama Statehouse and downtown Montgomery,’’ the agent wrote.
Among those stickers identified as being placed in Montgomery – and matching Calvert’s collection – included:
• An Antifa logo superimposed over a rainbow flag background, with the words, “ANTI-FASCISM IS COMMUNITY SELF-DEFENSE.”
• An image of a multi-tiered pyramid-like structure with individuals located on each tier, with the words, “TOPPLE ALL HIERARCHIES.”
• The “A” symbol, assessed to represent anarchy, next to an image of an AK-47 rifle, superimposed over a black background with leaves and flowers, with the words, “DEFEND NATURE.”
• A purple-colored sticker with a masked face inside of a female pictogram. The words at the top of the sticker read, “FEMINIST ACTION.”
• A white sticker with spatter font which reads, “EAT THE RICH.” The “A” inside the word “EAT” is in the shape of the anarchy symbol.
• An image of multiple masked and hooded individuals, one carrying a sling, and another wearing goggles. In the center of the sticker, the Antifa symbol is displayed above the words, “SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ANTIFA.”
• A black sticker with red and white font with the words, “FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS BECOME COPS.” A red anarchy symbol surrounded by a red heart are in the lower right corner of the sticker.
On February 11, authorities said, Calvert posted a video one of his identified social media accounts.
This video consisted of Calvert talking about his “violent impulses.”
“I am impulsive by nature in some way that can often be violent, or my impulses are violent.” Calvert further stated,
“Some might call those intrusive thoughts, some might just call them violent impulse,’’ Calvert said in the video. “I think too often we do not talk about how difficult it is for violent people to overcome that[violent impulses].
He also posted, “How the (expletive) are we not killing the government right now.”
On March 19, investigators interviewed the direct supervisor and two former co-workers of Calvert. Calvert’s first day of employment at this job was February 19, 2024.
“He caused immediate alarm with co-workers, who were concerned Calvert’s strange behavior and with the stickers on Calvert’s Toyota Camry which read, “BE G.. DO CRIME,” the agent wrote.
Calvert was further described as a “loner” who avoided eye contact with everyone, wore all black-colored clothing, and avoided speaking to other employees.
Moreover, Calvert was consistently late to work and failed to follow instructions.
He was fired from his job on Feb. 28.
A previous supervisor told agents Calvert suffered from a lot of “mental struggles” and was “borderline unstable.”
“Calvert has expressed his belief that violence should be directed against the government, and he has described his inability to control his own violent, aggressive impulses,’’ authorities wrote in a detention memorandum. “Calvert is violent, and he is dangerous, just as he said. If Calvert is released, the danger to the community from a second offense is greatly increased.”
Alabama court records do not show any previous criminal record on state charges.
“Thanks to the work of the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners, this defendant is being held accountable for allegedly detonating an explosive device outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department has no tolerance for acts of violence targeting those who serve the public.”
“Federal, state, and local law enforcement agents worked tirelessly to investigate this matter,” stated Middle District of Alabama Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Ross. “The arrest today is a reflection of the way in which close cooperation among law enforcement agencies facilitates the pursuit of justice. I am grateful for the efforts of all involved.”
If convicted, Calvert faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison with no possibility of parole.