U.S. Attorney's Office
John Douglas Allen is shown carrying a box containing a bomb, FBI says.
The FBI on Monday arrested a retired miner who is accused of placing homemade bombs outside two cell phone stores in northern Michigan because he was angry about “telecommunications containing immoral content.”
John Douglas Allen, 75, of Whittemore, is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Bay City on Tuesday afternoon on charges of extortion and attempting to destroy a building.
The bombs, which contained nails and metal balls, were found outside an AT&T store in Sault St. Marie and a Verizon store in Cheboygan on Sept. 15.
In late August, Allen is accused of placing threatening letters inside polka-dotted envelopes that were addressed to AT&T, Verizon, and “all other carriers” at various locations in northern Michigan, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court obtained by The Detroit News. The letters, which were sent from the “Coalition for Moral Telecommunications (CMT),” threatened to “begin destroying inner city tower communication” unless the providers created software to stop the spread of “immoral content.”
“All telecommunication containing immoral content must be destroyed. This includes cursing, the transmission of pornography, and all manner of indecent communication,” the letter stated.
The letter also demanded $5 million.
Surveillance video showed Allen with a box containing a bomb and his maroon Chevrolet Uplander.
In a statement Tuesday, the FBI said local, state, and federal law enforcement “have been working around the clock to identify and apprehend this subject.”
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