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JPL
10-28-2007, 12:19 AM
S.R. 417 pipe bomb linked to one at Disney
A St. Cloud man is under arrest, and 4 more are sought, deputies say.

Sarah Langbein | Sentinel Staff Writer
October 26, 2007

A pipe bomb - powerful enough to kill -- found along a well-traveled expressway is linked to another device that exploded this summer near Downtown Disney, Orange County sheriff's officials said Thursday.

A St. Cloud man has been arrested, and detectives were hoping to catch four other suspects.

Authorities said Wednesday's bomb, fashioned out of PVC piping, was discarded along State Road 417 near John Young Parkway after its makers were spooked by the publicity surrounding the discovery July 2 of one of their other devices.

That bomb, made of metal, blasted a heavy-duty trash bin in an empty Disney parking lot and garnered national attention.

Investigators were trying to determine whether the explosive located this week had been sitting at the roadside, dormant, since July.

In all, the Sheriff's Office -- which is working with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- suspects the group was responsible for three pipe bombs, including one that they detonated in a remote area. But detectives continue to look into the possibility of others.

"I'm hoping that this is all there is to it," Sheriff Kevin Beary said.

A tip to CrimeLine three weeks ago re-energized the agency's investigation into the Disney incident. A week later, Beary said, suspects were questioned and confessions obtained. On Wednesday, the father and girlfriend of Brandon Ryan Woll, a 21-year-old server at the Swan and Dolphin hotels, pointed detectives to State Road 417, according to an affidavit. The hazardous-device team arrived there within an hour of the tip.

The roadway was closed for hours at rush hour until the bomb was "rendered safe," Deputy Carlos Padilla said.

Woll was arrested Wednesday and admitted to leaving the bomb on the road, his arrest report said. He faces felony charges of making an explosive device. Beary said he expects a federal indictment for Woll and the others, who have not been named. The Sheriff's Office would not say anything else about the outstanding suspects, citing the "sensitive nature" of the investigation.

Woll, who bailed out of jail Thursday, maintained his innocence in an interview with radio station 580 AM (WDBO).

"I'll be honest with you, I didn't do it. And I read on the news it said that I admitted to it, placing and making it. None of the sort," Woll said.

He said the devices were the work of a former friend. He could not be reached for comment later Thursday.

The Sheriff's Office said it has seen a slow and steady increase in these types of crimes, keeping its hazardous-device unit busy this year.

Beary blames the situation on the availability of information about explosives on the Internet and the lack of accountability and policing there. He said a computer user can find everything from " 'How To Make A Bomb 101' to 'How To Kill Your Neighbor 102.' "

"It's a good opportunity for the federal government to step in," Beary said.

Beary also praised the anonymous tip that helped authorities locate the dangerous device and dismantle this group.

"We're solving cases all of the time because people are stepping up to the plate," he said.

murphy1
10-29-2007, 02:27 PM
I heard about this when I had the news on while we were there the other day, very scary!

Dracula766
10-29-2007, 07:15 PM
[SIZE="4"][B]

Beary blames the situation on the availability of information about explosives on the Internet and the lack of accountability and policing there. He said a computer user can find everything from " 'How To Make A Bomb 101' to 'How To Kill Your Neighbor 102.' "


I guess this guy doesn't like the internet.
That's like blaming McDonalds for making kids fat :shake: