FBI Makes Arrest After Bombs Found Outside Of Michigan Cell Phone Stores
By Hannah DeRuyter
September 21, 2021
The FBI announced Tuesday (September 21) that a person had been arrested in connection to explosive devices found outside of two different cell phone stores in Michigan last week.
According to The Detroit News, 75-year-old John Douglas Allen was arrested after the FBI identified him as the man who left homemade bombs and coded letters outside of two Michigan cell phone stores last week.
The bombs were found in Northern Michigan outside of a cell phone store in Cheboygan and another in Sault Ste. Marie. The bombs were placed in USPS boxes sealed with black tape and had 'CMT' written on them. Inside the boxes were threatening letters addressed to AT&T and Verizon. The letters were signed with either 'Handcuff Johnny' or the initials 'HJ.'
Authorities believe that the two bombs were connected to several letters left near telecommunications towers in the Upper Peninsula last month. The threatening letters were addressed to multiple companies, including AT&T and Verizon. The FBI said they were also signed by the “Coalition for Moral Telecommunications” (CMT) and left a list of demands.
Two of the demands were for a $5 million payment and that telecommunication companies stop the distribution of "immoral content," which includes pornography, cursing, and "all manner of indecent communication," The Detroit News Reported.
On September 15, Allen was caught on surveillance footage placing the packages outside of the cell phone stores. Authorities began searching nearby security cameras for the car in the video and eventually found a match and who the vehicle belonged to, which was Allen.
Allen eventually admitted to placing the letters at the telecommunications towers and the bombs out front of the cell phone stores. Authorities also said Allen signed the threatening letters with 'Handcuff Johnny' because he believed he “would end up in handcuffs as a result of his actions.”
Charges are currently pending. If Allen is convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.