Michael Christopher Estes

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Pledging to “fight a war on U.S. soil,” a man packed a Mason jar with explosive chemicals and nails and left it at an airport in Asheville, N.C.

The FBI alleges Michael Christopher Estes placed an improvised explosive device at the airport near the terminal entrance Friday morning, CBS News reports. 

Estes was charged with attempted malicious use of explosive materials and unlawful possession of explosives at an airport.

Authorities are still trying to determine Estes’ motive to “fight a war in U.S. soil.”

Estes, who is Native American, is being held without bond at the Buncombe County jail. 

Other Stories of Interest

• Recordings Capture Brutal FBI Tactics to Recruit Potential Informant
• FBI: Young Man Went to Fight with ISIS, And Family Lied about It
• Cleveland Heights Man Brought Guns into FBI Parking Lot
• Justice Department May More Aggressively Seek Encrypted Data from Tech Companies
• Washington Post Opinion: Robert Mueller Can’t Save Us from Trump

Body cam footage of the shooting death of Patrick Harmon.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A Utah prosecutor is urging the FBI to investigate a white police officer who shot and killed a black man who was stopped on his bicycle for crossing traffic without the required rear light.

Dramatic body cam footage of the Aug. 13 shooting shows Salt Lake Police Officer Clinton Fox yelling, “I’ll (expletive) shoot you” before firing his gun at 50-year-old Patrick Harmon from behind.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled the shooting was justified, saying Harmon initially turned toward officers after threatening he had a knife, which was not discernible in the video. A knife was later found at the scene, according to police.

But Harmon’s family and civil rights activists applauded the decision to involve the FBI, saying the district attorney should resign for defending the officer.

Stephen Paddock

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A week after Stephen Paddock opened fire onto a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas, leading to the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history, the 64-year-old’s house in a normally quiet neighborhood of Reno was broken into.

Police said they immediately notified the FBI after discovering someone had broken into the home through the front door over the weekend, the Reno Gazette-Journal reports. 

It’s unclear what motivated the break-in. Officers didn’t notice anything missing, but said they are working with the FBI to “make sure there are no further incidents.”

Law enforcement raided Paddock’s home on Oct. 3, finding five handguns, two shotguns, numerous electronic devices and a “plethora of ammunition, Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A federal judge drastically scaled back a Justice Department warrant seeking digital data about visitors to an anti-Trump website that helped organize protests against the president.

Superior Court Chief Judge Robert E. Morin ruled that the Los Angeles web host may redact information that identifies site visitors because of constitutional rights to privacy, the Los Angeles Times reports. 

The Justice Department cannot force the disclosure of identifying information unless there is evidence of criminal activity.

“While the government has the right to execute its warrant, it does not have the right to rummage through the information contained on DreamHost’s website and discover the identity of, or access communications by, individuals not participating in alleged criminal activity, particularly those persons who were engaging in protected 1st Amendment activities,” Morin wrote.

In July, the Justice Department filed a search warrant for information on the 1.3 million visits to the website, disruptj20.org.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration officer was sentenced to four years in prison for demanding sexual favors from a woman accused of getting married just to gain citizenship.

Officer Jovany Perez told the woman he could help her avoid trouble in exchange for sexual favors, the Miami Herald reports. 

After giving in during the first meeting, the woman declined a second sexual advance and alerted Homeland Security, which set up a sting to catch the 34-year-old making ultimatums on audio and video surveillance.

Perez was convicted on July 26 of receiving a bribe from a public official.