The FBI announced Tuesday a person has been arrested in connection with two explosive devices found last week outside two northern Michigan cellphone stores.
The explosive devices were found Thursday, Sept. 16 with threatening notes outside cellphone stores in Cheboygan and Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Law enforcement officers and bomb technicians from the Michigan State Police and the FBI responded to the locations and rendered the devices safe, the FBI said.
Both devices were packaged inside USPS Priority Mail boxes, sealed with black duct tape, and placed outside the cellphone stores. There were threatening notes addressed to Verizon and AT&T on the top of each box. The notes were signed either “HJ” or “Handcuff Johnny.” The letters “CMT” were written on each box.
Moreover, authorities believe these devices are related to a series of letters found in the Upper Peninsula last month. The letters, claiming to be from the “Coalition for Moral Telecommunications” (CMT) were found at multiple telecommunications tower sites across the UP. The letters made specific demands to the telecommunications companies, the FBI said.
An arrest was made Monday night, the FBI announced Tuesday. Charges are pending.
“An investigation this fast-moving cannot be successful without good partnerships,” reads a statement from a FBI spokeswoman. “The tireless efforts and seamless coordination amongst all the investigative agencies were critical to quickly identifying and arresting the subject, disrupting the threat this individual posed to the public.”
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips to tips.fbi.gov.