Christopher Arthur, 38, of Mount Olive, North Carolina, was presented before a magistrate judge Monday, the DOJ said. He was arrested on January 22, 2022.
Information about Arthur was first received by the FBI in May 2020, when authorities discovered multiple tactical instructional manuals authored by him in the residence of an individual who had been killed May 27, 2020, during a shootout with officers in New York. according to the DOJ.
That individual was later identified as Joshua Blessed, according to court documents, The Associated Press reported. Federal authorities searched two Virginia properties linked to Blessed, finding three pipe bombs, 11 improvised explosive devices, two AK-47s, two high-caliber rifles, a plethora of ammunition, and $148,000 in cash, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.
Blessed had also trained with Arthur for multiple days in Mount Olive in March 2020, the DOJ said. Arthur runs a company called “Tackleberry Solutions,” which teaches wartime military tactics for home defense, according to the business’ website. The website says Arthur’s goal is to “save as many lives as he can through his teaching and keep families together and free.”
On May 5, 2021, while at his home, Arthur taught another individual how to properly place IEDs throughout one’s property, the significance of making a fatal funnel, the setup and use of remote-activated firearms, and how to evade arrest after killing members of law enforcement, according to the DOJ.
Arthur taught the individual with the knowledge that the individual meant to kill federal law enforcement should they come to his residence, the DOJ said. He also gave the individual the explosives he taught him about after the training.
After Arthur was arrested, a search was conducted on his home, where authorities found multiple IEDs, an IED striker plate, an electronic IED trigger, other IED components, a pistol suppressor, bulk gunpowder, and mixed Tannerite explosives, according to the DOJ.
If convicted, Arthur could be sentenced to 20 years in prison and faced with a fine of $250,000, the DOJ said.
The behavior alleged in this indictment, training someone in methods of how to kill or injure federal law enforcement, is both serious and frightening," said Robert R. Wells, FBI Special Agent in Charge, in the press release.
“Here in Eastern North Carolina, we will protect the brave men and women of law enforcement who are sworn to protect us, " U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said in the press release. “The Justice Department will aggressively investigate and prosecute those whose actions would further violence against those in uniform.”
