One year after dismissing charges against an Arkansas blacksmith for placing an explosive device outside a church that was serving as a polling station for the 2010 Democratic primary, federal authorities are offering $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the “Pepsi can bomber.”
Meanwhile, the man they originally accused of the plot is sitting behind bars on charges completely unrelated to the plot — charges that only came up because the FBI searched his property after the original terror-related charge.
Mark Krause, now 41, is being held in a federal low security prison in Yazoo City, Mississippi and is scheduled to be released on Aug. 30, according to Bureau of Prisons records. He pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered weapons including a short barrel rifle, three machine guns and three silencers and was sentenced to two years in prison.
The FBI announced the $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the bomb this week week, a bit over two years after the June 9, 2010 incident.
“As some investigations take several twists and turns before they are ultimately solved, sometimes an innocuous, small bit of information can be the piece of evidence needed to make the case,” the FBI said in a statement.
Kimberly Brunell, a spokesperson for the FBI’s office in Arkansas, told TPM that the purpose of the reward was to “let people know we’re still committed to the case.” She said the bureau wasn’t ruling out Krause as a suspect completely.
“I think we haven’t discounted any motive at this point, so whether it be targeted at the church, whether it be targeted at the fact that the runoff election had been held there the previous day — we’re accepting and asking for any and all information about any motive, any tip,” Brunell said.
Here’s the FBI’s profile of its suspect in the case:
He is skilled in electronics and possesses above-average knowledge of circuitry. He is skilled working with small projects and models. These skills may have come from his previous technical training, employment, or hobbies.
He may have displayed these skills in previous crafts or projects with pyrotechnics (fireworks). He may be known as someone who can repair electrical problems. He may have used these skills to play pranks on others in the past. In fact, some of these pranks may have been motivated by revenge. He may display the attitude of, “I don’t get mad; I get even.” Additionally, he may have committed acts of vandalism with pyrotechnic/explosive devices. He will need an area that affords him privacy to experiment with and build his devices. This will likely be an area in his residence or place of employment, where he can work undisturbed and in secret. Items he may keep in this area include the following: circuit boards; batteries; wires; ammunition; pyrotechnic powder and fuses; electronic switches; springs; glue/adhesives; and tools necessary for his craft to include wire cutters, tweezers, and a Dremel tool. It is likely that he has experimented with explosives and pyrotechnics; those living around him may have heard explosions or sounds like gunfire near his residence or in nearby rural areas.
