VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A man who had the "Mother of Satan" explosive powder at his home used YouTube to learn how to make the material because he said he had a passion for fireworks and other explosives, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Jared E. Coburn, 37, was arrested Tuesday evening in Lake Helen after a citizen tip about a homemade bomb led authorities to his home on Pennsylvania Avenue. Inside the home, deputies said they found two jars, two vials and a baggie of triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, an explosive powder the terrorist organization Al-Qaida dubbed the "Mother of Satan" because it's so dangerous.
During an interview with deputies, Coburn said that he has a passion for explosives that began with a love for model rockets. When the rockets "were just not exciting enough," Coburn turned to YouTube to learn how to make explosive materials, according to the arrest affidavit.
A few of the items recovered during yesterday's search at a home in Lake Helen. Total: 2 jars, 2 vials & 1 baggie of TATP (highly volatile explosive). Also, 2 homemade explosives & bomb-making paraphernalia with explosives residue. We set off 7 total countercharges last night. pic.twitter.com/alOljBZVyj
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) November 14, 2018
Coburn said that he found the recipe for TATP and other explosives on YouTube and experimented with them in his backyard, deputies said. He would add the highly volatile TATP to fireworks to make them brighter, louder or to make them change color, according to the report.
A neighbor who spoke to News 6 said he knew Coburn experimented with explosives as a hobby but he didn't think he had any ill intent.
"It's kind of off the scale of weird (expletive), but it's not like I think he was a terrorist or anything. He just likes blowing stuff up," the neighbor said.
One of 7 explosive detonations last night. Sorry for the noise, Lake Helen residents! pic.twitter.com/XYc4kTaj8X
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) November 14, 2018
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office bomb squad used a robot to remove the TATP from the home and detonate it in a nearby field because it was too dangerous to transport.
Along with the TATP, deputies said they also found an improvised grenade, a large number of exploding targets, multiple firearms, large amounts of ammunition and items that could be portrayed as hoax destructive devices.
Coburn is being held at the Volusia County Jail on two counts of making or possessing a destructive device and one count of possessing explosives. A judge on Wednesday set his bond at $45,000.