Sacramento screening leads to arrest

A suspicious bag at a Sacramento airport checkpoint turned into both a local arrest and a federal explosives case within three days. ABC10 reported that Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies were called to Terminal A at Sacramento International Airport after TSA screeners flagged an item in a traveler’s carry-on around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 30. Deputies detained the man without incident, the station said, citing the sheriff’s office. Federal prosecutors on June 2 identified the traveler as Kimani Osayande Jones, 49, also known as Kimani Osayande Jackson, and charged him in a criminal complaint with unlawfully possessing explosive material in an airport. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said Jones is from Sacramento. ### What did TSA and deputies find in the bag? (abc10.com) The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office told ABC10 that the bag contained a homemade explosive firework, a knife, zip ties, five cell phones, a torch lighter and aerosol cans. ABC10 also reported that federal officials said Jones had scissors and scissor blades. (justice.gov) The U.S. Attorney’s Office described the main item more specifically as an “M-type explosive device” and said Jones also had a torch lighter capable of lighting it, along with a knife, scissors, scissor blades, an aerosol can and zip ties in his carry-on. Prosecutors said he was wearing a scarf covering his face and latex gloves on his hands when he tried to pass through the checkpoint. (abc10.com) ### How did the airport response unfold? Sgt. Edward Igoe told ABC10 that when “a prohibited item” or “a potential prohibited item” is identified during screening, TSA automatically notifies sheriff’s deputies assigned to the airport. He told the station deputies then responded and took the traveler into custody without incident. ABC10 reported that the traveler was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on state charges including possession of a dangerous device. (justice.gov) The station said authorities had not released his destination at that stage and were still investigating motive. ### Why did the case move from a checkpoint stop to a federal charge? (yahoo.com) The Justice Department said bomb technicians from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and an FBI special agent bomb technician safely removed the device after Jones was arrested at the airport. Prosecutors said the device was later examined and tested, and that its powder and fuse were found to be viable and energetic. (abc10.com) Court documents cited by federal prosecutors said the device had the potential to cause injury and, if it had detonated next to a window on a pressurized aircraft above 10,000 feet, could have damaged the aircraft and caused a possible loss of cabin pressure. That allegation forms the basis of the federal complaint for possessing explosive material in an airport. (justice.gov) ### What else did investigators say stood out? Federal prosecutors said Jones had five cell phones, one with a 15-minute timer ready to start and another displaying a message from an unidentified number that read, “we will be awaiting your call.” Local and regional reports attributed those details to court documents filed with the federal complaint. FOX40 reported that prosecutors said Jones was attempting to board American Airlines Flight 2464 to Charlotte, North Carolina. (justice.gov) ABC10 had earlier reported that authorities were withholding his destination while the investigation remained active. ### What happens next in the case? The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the FBI and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the case and that Assistant U.S. (fox40.com) Attorney Elliot Wong is prosecuting it. If convicted on the federal charge, Jones faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, prosecutors said, while noting that the complaint contains allegations and that he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. (justice.gov)