The FBI arrested two men in Utah over the weekend for placing a dud bomb under a news vehicle covering the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
The suspects, identified as 58-year-old Adeeb Nasir and 31-year-old Adil Justice Ahmed Nasir, were charged with threat of terrorism, possessing weapons of mass destruction, and possessing explosive devices. They were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Sunday. Their relationship to one another remains unclear.
On Friday, the men left the bomb under a vehicle belonging to a Fox News affiliate in Salt Lake City that was parked next to a building. The local news outlet was the intended target, but the incendiary device did not detonate. It was lit but “failed to function,” officials said.
The incident was considered a significant threat to public safety.
The FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office led the investigation and served a warrant at the Nasirs’ home on Saturday, Fox13 reported. The Salt Lake City Police Department assisted in the case, and bomb technicians with the Unified Fire Authority Investigations worked to ensure no other bombs were located in the home.
“FOX 13 News is working closely with law enforcement and our risk management team, with the safety of our employees as our top priority,” a spokesperson for the outlet said in a statement.
During the search, the suspects told authorities that “two hoax weapons of mass destruction” were actually “real.” The threat prompted officials to evacuate the home and other houses nearby.
In addition to the explosives, law enforcement discovered firearms, narcotics, and electronic devices believed to contain evidence of the original bomb that was found under the news vehicle, among other items. Both men were prohibited from possessing firearms, per the Salt Lake City Police Department.
The arrests came days after Kirk was fatally shot by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who was taken into custody late last week. The assassination took place at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was hosting a campus event in front of about 3,000 attendees. The moment that the bullet pierced the conservative activist’s neck was broadcast on social media, provoking outrage and mourning across the nation.
Salt Lake City received a visit from Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance last Thursday. The two met with Kirk’s family and friends before departing on Air Force Two to take Kirk’s casket to Phoenix. TPUSA’s headquarters is based in Arizona, the home of Kirk’s funeral scheduled for Sept. 21.