VI: AR, LA, NM, OK, TX

On 19 January 2025, at approximately 1400 hours local time, Wichita County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded after a passerby reported seeing a suspicious device on the bank of the Wichita River at the bridge over FM Road 369 in Wichita Falls. Deputies used a UAS to examine the device and called the Fort Sill bomb squad, Wichita West volunteer firefighters, and a Wichita Falls police officer associated with the ATF for assistance. The bomb squad used an X-ray to examine the device and determined that it was a live IED, described as a pipe bomb.

On 7 January 2025, Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies and agents from the FBI’s Houston field office discovered BMM while searching a storage unit on the 11900 block of Walters Road in Houston that was connected to the suspect in the New Orleans vehicle-ramming attack. The BMM, described as “bottles of sulfuric acid,” were reportedly purchased at a nearby hardware store and were discovered inside a cooler within the storage unit.

On 11 December 2024, at approximately 2300 hours local time, Houston Police Department’s (HPD) Northeast Crime Suppression Team attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle near Tidwell Drive and Jensen Drive in Houston. The driver refused to leave the car and claimed that he had multiple firearms and explosives in the vehicle. HPD’s SWAT Team arrived at the scene to assist and convinced the suspect to throw the weapons out of the car. Investigators recovered several firearms and a small quantity of explosives from the scene. No injuries were reported during the standoff.

On 14 November 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas, published a press release announcing the 8 November 2024 arrest of a 28-year-old Houston man who attempted to provide material support to ISIS, reportedly wanted to commit a terrorist attack in the United States, and allegedly stored explosives manuals on his laptop. Law enforcement executed searches of the suspect’s residence, vehicle, and electronic devices, which uncovered instruction manuals on how to prepare C4 explosives, use a remote detonator, and construct various other IEDs.

On 27 October 2024, at approximately 1040 hours local time, Arkansas State Police (ASP) troopers conducted a traffic stop and vehicle search on Interstate 40 eastbound in Conway and discovered an IED, described as a CO2 cartridge with a 1-foot-long fuse. Troopers also discovered illegal narcotics, drug paraphernalia, and multiple social security and identification cards. The ASP Bomb Squad, Conway Fire Department bomb technicians, and ATF agents were called to the scene and confirmed the device was functional. The device was transported to a secondary location and rendered safe.