ISIS maniac, 27, disguised ‘lethal’ shrapnel bombs as teddy bears and dumped them in US streets where kids could find them
An ISIS supporter disguised potentially lethal bombs as household items and left them in the street for members of the public to find. Wesley Dallas Ayers, 27, planted three real bombs, including one disguised as a teddy bear, and three fake ones around South Carolina. The FBI has now released images of the disturbing packages […]
An ISIS supporter disguised potentially lethal bombs as household items and left them in the street for members of the public to find.
Wesley Dallas Ayers, 27, planted three real bombs, including one disguised as a teddy bear, and three fake ones around South Carolina.
The FBI has now released images of the disturbing packages planted by Ayers, who was given a 30-year prison sentence in February.
One man received minor burns to his leg after a wicker basket he had noticed glowing while driving with his daughter exploded.
Police later discovered a note written in Arabic and referencing Osama bin Laden.
In the following weeks, two more genuine bombs were found by members of the public but rendered safe by law enforcement.
The teddy-shaped bomb was found left in the road, its eyes also glowing to make it visible.
FBI Special Agent Christopher Derrickson said: “This was deliberately placed where a child or passerby could have found it.
“Fortunately, someone saw it and knew to call us.”
Three hoax objects were also found in different locations with notes declaring that the community was no longer safe.
One object designed to resemble a bomb was left in a black box containing a letter pledging allegiance to the Islamic State.
Judge Henry Herlong found that the dangerous and lethal nature of the real devices, which were weaponised with shrapnel, concealed in household items, and publicly placed in or near roadways, justified the substantial sentence.
He also emphasised that Ayers’s campaign had lasted more than a month, and said it was only by the efforts of police and good fortune more people had not been seriously harmed or killed.
Ayers was caught after a witness told police he had been talking about building bombs at his home.
A judge approved a warrant for a search of Ayers’s house, where police found bomb components and copies of the writings found at the crime scenes.
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They also found two guns and a type of vest used by suicide bombers, while DNA evidence linked Ayers with the explosive devices.
Ayers’ search history showed he had viewed terrorist material from Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni-American linked to the al-Qaeda leadership, as well as Osama bin Laden.
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