Alabama man charged for detonating explosive outside state AG’s office pleads guilty

An Alabama man who was charged with detonating an explosive device outside the state attorney general’s office pleaded guilty on Friday.

Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Ala., pleaded guilty in federal court to the “malicious use” of an explosive, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a release.

“This defendant built a bomb using nails and screws as shrapnel and detonated it outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, endangering a public institution and members of the community,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Public servants should never be targeted for doing their jobs.”

Calvert detonated the explosive device in the early morning hours of Feb. 24 outside Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office in downtown Montgomery, Ala. No one was injured when it detonated and law enforcement did not find it until Feb. 26.

Law enforcement was notified of a suspicious package near the office and determined it was an explosive. The incident came about a week after the Alabama Supreme Court issued its controversial ruling stating that frozen embryos should be considered children, halting in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment in the state for some time.

Before planting the device, Calvert placed stickers on various state buildings that had different graphics on them advocating for “various political ideologies,” including “Support your local antifa,” the DOJ said.

Calvert said he has no affiliation with antifa. He was arrested on April 10, the department said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Calvert pleaded guilty to the crime, adding that “violence and destruction of property will never be tolerated.”

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date but Calvert faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, the DOJ said.

The Hill has reached out to Marshall’s office for comment.