Officials Say They Foiled Bomb Plot in Kansas

Officials said they arrested a man who planned to attack the Kansas airport where he worked. Jennifer Davis reports.

Published

7 months ago

Categories

US

Topics

United States, Terrorism

People

Jennifer Davis, Barry Grissom, Terry Lee Loewen

Places

United States of America, Kansas, Kansas City

Transcript

The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office announced they foiled a bombing plot at a Kansas airport by arresting avionics technician Terry Lee Loewen Friday morning. They say he planned to attack Wichita Mid-Continental Airport where he worked. Barry Grissom is the Kansas U.S. Attorney. (SOUNDBITE) BARRY GRISSOM, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR KANSAS SAYING: "Mr. Loewen spent months developing a plan to use his access card to the airport to drive a car loaded with explosives to the terminal. It's alleged he planned to pull the trigger himself on the explosives and die as a martyr." Federal agents arrested Loewen without incident after he tried to drive onto the tarmac with a truck he thought was full of explosives. Undercover agents had actually provided him with inert material. (SOUNDBITE) BARRY GRISSOM, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR KANSAS SAYING: "I want to express in the strongest terms possible, at no time was the airport perimeter's breached and at no time was any citizen or member of the travelling public in any type of danger." Officials say Loewen was under surveillance since this summer when he said he was resolved to commit an act of violent jihad against the U.S. Michael Kaste is FBI's Special Agent in Charge for Kansas City. (SOUNDBITE) MICHAEL KASTE, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, FBI KANSAS CITY SAYING: "While we feel protected here in the heartland, in the middle of America, we have a certain sense of security but today again it reminds us that terrorism remains a very real threat." 58-year-old Loewen faces three charges including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.