South Carolina: Muslim planted explosives, sent “letters of jihad”

“Other ‘hoax boxes’ that didn’t contain live devices were discovered in early February, Socha said. One of the boxes included a three-page typed letter that said the incident with the wicker basket in January ‘was only the start’ of what the community could expect, and that ‘gifts’ would keep coming ‘until the Islamic State and flag are above all others.’”

This took place in rural South Carolina. There is no part of the country, and no part of the world, that is safe from this threat of jihad violence. Yet most authorities in the West remain determined to ignore and deny it. It’s a suicidal path, and the consequences will be explosive.

“Man arrested during probe of suspicious packages in Anderson linked to letters of ‘jihad,’” by Nikie Mayo, Anderson Independent Mail, March 8, 2018:

In chilling testimony at Wesley Dallas Ayers’ preliminary federal hearing in Greenville Thursday afternoon, an FBI agent described investigators finding multiple explosive and “hoax devices” in Anderson County, including some containing letters warning about jihad and pledging allegiance to the Islamic State.

FBI agent Ted Socha said a behavioral analysis of Ayers indicates that the 27-year-old could be fueled by methamphetamine and violence. Socha said meth, the drug that would keep Ayers awake at night, could allow him to work in an old shed on Travis Road under the cover of darkness mixing his own concoctions of gunpowder and crafting homemade explosives.

Ayers, 27, is federally charged with possessing an unregistered firearm. The court document showing that charge was made public late Monday. Other court documents in the case, including the affidavit supporting that charge, have not yet been made public.

Socha detailed in testimony how investigators found at least two live explosive devices within a couple of miles of Ayers’ home.

One was discovered Jan. 30 near the intersection of Travis and Martin roads. In that case, a 49-year-old man found a wicker basket and heard something in it hissing. When he opened the basket, the device detonated and he suffered a minor leg injury, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office. His 14-year-old daughter was with him, and her screams were captured on home video and audio surveillance footage.

Along with the basket was a drawing that depicted the White House with flames superimposed over it, Socha testified Thursday. Included were Arabic references to the “mother of Islam” and a drawing depicting Osama bin Laden in front of the White House, Socha said.

Other “hoax boxes” that didn’t contain live devices were discovered in early February, Socha said. One of the boxes included a three-page typed letter that said the incident with the wicker basket in January “was only the start” of what the community could expect, and that “gifts” would keep coming “until the Islamic State and flag are above all others,” Socha testified….