July 2019 AST Magazine AST July 2019 Magazine | Page 38

Police
and the FBI then stepped up On February 15, July
another
device
www.AmericanSecurityToday.com
2019 - Edition
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an already fast-moving investiga- was found, hidden inside a ted-
tion of what was now clearly a serial dy bear.
bomber.
“Every time we responded to a scene, we The teddy bear was left in a bas-
immediately provided evidence to the ket in the middle of the road.
FBI Laboratory
for analysis,”
said
Special
Agent
Tanya
Evanina, who
worked the case
as part of the FBI
Columbia Field
Office’s Joint
Terrorism Task
Force (JTTF).
“We also worked
with local law
enforcement to
canvass the area,
looking at sur- Wesley “Dallas” Ayers placed this bomb-containing teddy bear on a rural
veillance foot- South Carolina road in February 2018; this was one of six real and hoax
age and talking bombs he placed over the course of a month. (Courtesy of the FBI)
with local busi-
“This was deliberately placed where a
nesses about the component parts.”
child or passerby could have found it.
As investigators hunted down leads, Fortunately, someone saw it and knew
more than 10 days went by without to call us,” said Special Agent Christo-
another incident—but the bomber pher Derrickson, a supervisor in the FBI
Columbia JTTF.
wasn’t finished.
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