Twin brothers were arrested for allegedly setting off multiple bombs in Pennsylvania during a two-week crime spree late last year that destroyed several buildings, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Authorities say Daniel Tate and Caleb Tate, both 22-year-old college students, detonated improvised explosive devices that they made themselves at five different locations in December while they were home from school on winter break.
The brothers allegedly blew up a mailbox, set off an explosion in a wooded area and detonated bombs in buildings, using explosives they made out of metal pipes, fuel containers, propane canisters, propane torch tips and other items, prosecutors said.
Nobody was injured in any of the blasts, but Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said the detonations could have been fatal had there been people nearby. “We live in a world where the thought of bombs exploding around us is a very real fear,” Hogan said in a statement. “These defendants brought that fear to our region.”
Daniel Tate is a student at Pepperdine University in California, while his brother Caleb attends Belmont University in Tennessee, according to authorities. They both face several charges, including arson by explosion, conspiracy and theft.
Investigators said they linked the brothers to the bombings after finding video of the two allegedly shoplifting and buying materials for the explosives from local stores. They also said they found Daniel Tate’s fingerprint on electrical tape found at one of the explosion sites.
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