‘Next Time This Video Turns On, I Will Be Shooting’: What Investigators Found in Melaku’s Home
The backpack also contained a spiral notebook with statements in Arabic about al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and other individuals connected to terrorist groups who aren’t named in the affidavit. The notebook also contained statements like “The Path to Jihad” and “defeat coalition and allies and America.”
Investigators also found four Ziploc bags marked “5 lbs” and “AN.” Laboratory tests revealed that the powder was primarily ammonium nitrate, with some other components.
“Ammonium nitrate is one of the most common components of homemade explosives,” the affidavit reads. According to the affidavit’s author, ammonium nitrate needs to be combined with any kind of fuel in order to create an explosive.
Hours after finding Melaku’s backpack, investigators went to his Franconia home. Inside, they found a laptop containing documents about bomb-making and explosives, and a video of Melaku allegedly shooting at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, one of the sites he is accused of shooting.