Man found with bombs in White Settlement planned to attack church, authorities say
The man detained in White Settlement last week after police found explosives in his vehicle told authorities he was planning to attack a North Texas church, according to a report obtained by the Dallas Morning News.
White Settlement police called for Fort Worth bomb squad crews after finding improvised explosive devices, guns and ammunition in the man’s van during a traffic stop, police have said.
Fort Worth Fire Department crews confirmed that three of the eight devices in the van were “indeed classified as destructive devices,” Fire Department investigators wrote in the incident report obtained by the Morning News.
The suspect told investigators that “he was planning an attack on a local church,” the report states. Neither the church nor the man have been publicly identified.
Police responded to the scene about 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 26 after receiving a call from a neighbor about a “suspicious vehicle” in a neighborhood near the 9200 block of Jason Lane, authorities said.
Upon arrival, officers found the man in the driver’s seat of the van with a handgun in his lap, police said. The man was experiencing a mental health crisis, according to a news release from the White Settlement Police Department.
A rifle and an AR-style pistol were also found in the van in addition to the handgun the suspect had with him in the driver’s seat, police said.
The man was taken to a medical facility and criminal charges against him are forthcoming, White Settlement police said.
Officials with an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also are investigating the incident.
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 8:19 PM.
