Housekeeper Finds Bomb in Teen’s Room in Ariz.

Housekeeper finds bomb: The housekeeper of a home in Arizona found a bomb and police later found bomb-making materials in the room of an 18-year-old.
Housekeeper Finds Bomb in Teen’s Room in Ariz.
Jack Phillips
5/8/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

A housekeeper cleaning a home in Arizona found a bomb and police later found bomb-making materials inside the room of an 18-year-old boy.

“It was something that wasn’t big, but could cause serious injuries and the death of someone,” police told the Arizona Republic newspaper.

The housekeeper called the Tempe fire station when she saw a suspicious-looking object with wires sticking out of it in the room belonging to Joshua Prater. Police later arrived and disabled it.

Police also discovered other materials to make improvised explosives in the boy’s room.

Prater’s parents told police that his friends taught the teen how to make explosives, according to the Republic.

Prater was taken into custody on suspicion of misconduct for possessing an improvised explosive device and weapons, Tempe Police Department spokesman Sgt. Mike Pooley told USA Today.

 “They had it X-rayed, they saw it was a valid IED. It was something that wasn’t big, but could cause serious injuries and the death of someone,” Pooley also told MyFoxPhoenix.com.

The improvised bomb was created from a CO2 cartridge, low explosive powder, fireworks, match heads, and a hobby fuse.

Police said it is not clear what Prater was trying to do with it.

According to KPHO television, Prater told police he built the bomb 10 years ago and said he didn’t know it contained explosive powder.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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