Authorities have arrested a man who planned to detonate a car bomb at Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport.
The charges against the man, identified as 58-year-old Terry Lee Loewen, included an attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Loewen, who worked at the airport, was arrested this morning on the airport’s tarmac with a vehicle he thought contained explosives. U.S. Attorney for Kansas Barry Grissom said the man had been under surveillance since earlier this year and had been given inert explosives by authorities during the investigation.
Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest at a news conference Friday afternoon at the Epic Center in downtown Wichita. Gov. Sam Brownback also attended the news conference, his office said.
Earlier Friday, Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams described the case as “a major situation for our city that was averted” through a collaborative investigation.
By Tim Potter / The Wichita Eagle
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