A man serving a life sentence in a Georgia prison is accused of constructing and mailing two bombs to a District of Columbia office building and a federal courthouse and building in Anchorage, Alaska, according to prosecutors.
David Cassady, 55, allegedly sent the explosive devices from his prison in Tattnall County on Jan. 24, 2020, as outlined in an indictment issued by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Statesboro, Georgia. The bomb intended for Washington, D.C., was addressed to the Bond Building, which houses offices including the Department of Justice.
The indictment alleges that Cassady created and sent the bombs with the intent to "maliciously damage or destroy, by means of fire or explosive, a building in whole or in part owned or possessed by, or leased to, the United States," and "created substantial risk of injury to a person."
Fortunately, neither bomb detonated. Cassady faces charges including making an unregistered destructive device, mailing a destructive device twice, and attempted malicious use of an explosive.
U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg, whose office is prosecuting Cassady, emphasized the importance of protecting personnel and facilities, stating, "We also will take action against inmates who seek to commit crimes and harm the public from behind bars."
The specifics of how Cassady allegedly constructed and sent the bombs from prison, as well as why he chose the DOJ headquarters and the federal courthouse and building in Anchorage as targets, were not detailed in the indictment.
However, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Corrections noted that Cassady was able to manipulate items he was authorized to possess into makeshift explosive devices.
Cassady has a lengthy criminal history dating back to the late 1980s, including convictions for forgery, kidnapping, aggravated sodomy, impersonating an officer, false imprisonment, terroristic threats and acts, false statements, gang participation, and conspiracy. He has been incarcerated since 1993.