Hurst man posted videos of assembling explosive devices, blowing up objects, warrant says
A Hurst man posted several videos on YouTube on how to build explosive devices and he recorded other videos showing him blowing up a 55-gallon drum, trees and other objects, police said.
The videos never showed his face, just hands building devices and a voice providing instructions, according to a warrant.
The videos on making the devices included trip wires, detonators, shape charges and blasting caps, according to the warrant obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Friday.
Hurst police identified the man as 37-year-old Nicholas Lloyd Nelson, who was arrested Thursday afternoon.
“He apparently was just tinkering with the devices,” said Hurst police Capt. Mark Schwobel in a Friday telephone interview with the Star-Telegram. “There were no targets.”
The search warrant written by Hurst Detective J.R. Hobbs provided this brief account of the arrest:
A confidential informant alerted Hurst police on Wednesday that there was a man named Nick Nelson who lived in the Valley Oaks Apartments, 101 E. Pipeline Road, in Hurst and he was building explosive devices.
The informant also noted that Nelson had set off explosive devices near the apartment complex and the Hurst man had a program called “Improvised Chaos” on YouTube.
Hurst detectives quickly investigated the report, corroborated the information and obtained a search warrant for the apartment. Detectives learned that Nelson lived in the apartment with his wife.
Detectives viewed the videos and in one video they could see the fence from the Valley Oaks Apartments. Hurst police were able to track down a report of an explosion on July 25 near Nelson’s apartment building.
Police contacted a commander with the Northeast Fire Department Association Bomb Squad to view one of the videos which showed a man placing energetic material in a metal container. The commander told detectives that was the way to make a frag bomb which could cause damage to property and endanger nearby residents.
Detectives found one video that was posted on Tuesday of Nelson making an explosive device, according to the warrant.
Some of the videos had diagrams on how to make the explosive devices, and how to make explosive chemicals and tripwires.
Hurst police began surveillance and Nelson was arrested Thursday afternoon as he exited his apartment.
Members of the Northeast Fire Department Association bomb squad arrived, searched the apartment and discovered the explosive materials. Adjacent residents were evacuated from their homes.
Materials seized included explosive chemicals, bombs, detonative devices, fuses, scales, black powder and glass cookware, according to the warrant.
The materials were moved out of the apartment and destroyed.
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 8:46 AM.
