Thursday, May 21, 2009

Two Arrested for Planting Device at Sacramento Federal Courthouse | News10.net | Sacramento, California | News

Two Arrested for Planting Device at Sacramento Federal Courthouse | News10.net | Sacramento, California | News: "Quantcast

SACRAMENTO, CA - Authorities arrested two people Wednesday that investigators said left an incediary device outside the Sacramento Federal Courthouse last weekend, according to an FBI spokesman.

Matthew Fraticelli, 30, and Stephanie Shinn, 35, of Sacramento were arrested early Wednesday and face charges of attempted arson of a federal facility and possession of an unregistered destructive device, Sacramento Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Steve Dupre said."

The device, hidden inside a paper grocery bag, was found by Federal Protection Service personnel during routine patrol outside a security booth on the east side of the courthouse at 5th and I streets in downtown Sacramento around 4:45 a.m. Sunday.

Dupre said the object was actually a Heineken five-liter draught keg with the word "Fraticelli" written in bold black ink on the side. Inside the keg was one gallon of a flammable liquid. Attached to the side of the keg with duct tape was a pill bottle that had what appeared to be an M-80 protruding from the lid.

Dupre said officers and agents reviewing video from a closed circuit television system around the courthouse observed a man later identified as Fraticelli walking northbound on 6th Street carrying a brown paper bag at about 8:20 p.m. Saturday.

The man eventually walks out of the view of the surveillance camera, but he is seen again 19 seconds later running southbound on 6th Street without the brown paper bag.

The tape shows the man meeting with a woman pushing a baby stroller as both continued to jog away from the view of the camera. Dupre said investigators were able to determine that the two individuals caught on the video were Fraticelli and Shinn.

Both have previous criminal records, according to FBI documents. It was not immediately known what prompted the couple to plant the device.

Local bomb squad personnel closed off streets surrounding the courthouse before deeming the device safely contained and removing it early Sunday afternoon.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Spamming will be removed.

Due to spamming. Comments need to be moderated. Your post will appear after moderated regardless of your views as long as they are not abusive in nature. Consistent abusive posters will not be viewed but deleted.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.