A thwarted bombing at Asheville Regional Airport did not receive much attention or coverage in the national or international media.

Michael Christopher Estes was indeed arrested on 7 October 2017. According to court documents, he has been charged with “attempted malicious use of explosive materials” and “unlawful possession of explosive materials in an airport”.

A day earlier, police at Asheville Regional Airport found what investigators described as an explosive device in a jar, which contained steel wool and a shotgun cartridge and nails. Security camera footage showed an individual who appeared to be a white male walking near the entrance to the airport terminal a few hours before the device was found while carrying a bag. The footage showed the same man walking away —without the bag.

On a tipoff from an airport employee, investigators searched a wooded area near the airport and found a backpack containing a number of items. According to the criminal complaint filed against Estes, he admitted to having placed the explosive device in the airport in the hope that it would explode and subsequently ignite a “war on U.S. soil”.