United States

Man Tried to Detonate Fake Bomb in Oklahoma City Sting: US Attorney

Court documents show that Jerry Drake Varnell had talked about attacking the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C., "in a similar manner" to the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City

A 23-year-old man was in custody Monday, charged in an anti-government bomb plot against an Oklahoma City bank, NBC News reported.

A months-long domestic terrorism investigation led to the arrest of Jerry Drake Varnell on Saturday, just after he attempted to carry out the bombing, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Oklahoma's Western District.

Court documents allege that Varnell drove a van containing what he believed to be a 1,000-pound bomb to the bank. But the bomb was fake and Varnell dialed law enforcement with what he thought was a detonator. Varnell's getaway driver was also an undercover agent.

The documents allege that Varnell began discussing his plans in December, talking about attacking the Federal Reserve Building in Washington, D.C., "in a similar manner" to the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City.

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