‘Dangerous’ suspected Antifa sympathizer pleads guilty to detonating nail-filled explosive device

A man with suspected Antifa sympathies pleaded guilty on Friday to detonating an explosive device filled with nails outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office earlier this year, according to the Department of Justice. 

Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty in federal court to the malicious use of an explosive device he set off during the early morning hours of Feb. 24 outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in downtown Montgomery. No injuries were reported. 

Calvert admitted during the plea hearing to manufacturing the device himself, using items such as nails and screws to act as shrapnel along with accelerants to cause an explosion. The DOJ has said Calvert filled the device with nails to maximize its destructive capability.

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After placing the explosive device near the Attorney General’s Office, Calvert lit its fuse and fled the scene. Law enforcement arrested Calvert on April 10.

He had previously posted Antifa content on social media, expressed his belief that violence should be directed against the government and placed Antifa stickers near the scene of the crime, the DOJ said. Calvert claims he has no affiliation with Antifa, short for “antifascist,” a far-left militant movement that sees itself as a descendant of the European anti-Nazi movements, and generally agrees that the best way to combat ideas they find odious is not through speech or debate but by direct action and physical confrontation.

Calvert faces between five and 20 years in prison. The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

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Calvert admitted to setting off an explosive device with shrapnel and nails. (Department of Justice)

“This defendant built a bomb using nails and screws as shrapnel and detonated it outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, endangering a public institution and members of the community,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Public servants should never be targeted for doing their jobs. The Justice Department will not tolerate such conduct, and we will use every resource at our disposal to prevent these attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.”

Court documents also said the man was “dangerous” as he had “described his inability to control his own violent, aggressive impulses.”

Some of the stickers allegedly posted by Calvert around the area included one that had “An Antifa logo superimposed over a rainbow flag background, with the words, ‘ANTI- FASCISM IS COMMUNITY SELF-DEFENSE,’” according to court documents. 

Others called to “ABOLISH PRIVATE PROPERTY” and “EAT THE RICH.” The “A” inside the word “EAT” was in the shape of the anarchy symbol, according to court documents. 

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Attorney General Merrick Garland said that public servants should never be targeted for doing their jobs. (AP/Susan Walsh)

Others reportedly read, “DEATH TO FASCISM,” “ARM THE HOMELESS,” “F–K WORK LET’S RIOT!” and “NEVER WORK.”

ATF Director Steven Dettelbach said Calvert perpetrated an attack on the American justice system.

“Violent, targeted attacks like this, aim to harm, whether physically or through fear and intimidation, the civil servants and public officials who serve our communities and country,” Dettelbach said. 

“ATF is committed to holding those who attack American institutions accountable. I commend the work of the ATF and all our federal and local partners in bringing this defendant to justice.”

’ Hannah Grossman contributed to this report.