FBI Arrests Two After Bomb Found Under News Vehicle Near Utah Site Of Charlie Kirk Assassination
The FBI arrested two men in Utah after authorities discovered an incendiary device placed beneath a FOX 13 Salt Lake City news vehicle — just days after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in nearby Orem.
The device, which investigators say had been lit but failed to detonate, was found Friday in the suburb of Magna. Officials confirmed it posed a “significant threat to public safety.”
The suspects, Adeeb Nasir, 58, and Adil Justice Ahmed Nasir, 31, were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Sunday and are being held without bail. Charges include threat of terrorism, possession of weapons of mass destruction, aggravated arson, and possession of explosive devices.
Court records list Adeeb Nasir as a U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, with “Eddie Nash” listed as an alias.
“Due to the nature of the device and its placement, this incident constituted a significant threat to public safety,” Unified Fire Authority investigator Jeffrey David Nelson said in an affidavit.
During a raid of the men’s home on Saturday, the FBI, Salt Lake City Police, and bomb squad uncovered firearms, explosives, narcotics, and related paraphernalia — items outside the scope of the original warrant. Both men were already prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior drug use, according to court orders.
“The FBI discovered what appeared to be potentially hazardous materials that could pose a threat to public safety,” the bureau said in a statement.
FOX 13 Station Manager Leona Wood confirmed the outlet is “working closely with law enforcement and our risk management team, with the safety of our employees as our top priority.”
The attempted bombing took place about 47 miles from the Utah Valley University campus where Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated last Wednesday. Suspected gunman Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested after his own father turned him in. He now faces aggravated murder and felony firearm charges.
The FBI and Utah officials have not said whether the bomb plot is connected to the Kirk assassination, but the proximity and timing have raised serious concerns about escalating left-wing violence in the state.