That Alabama Bunker Had Bombs and One Hidden Camera
On the day of the FBI raid on Jimmy Lee Dykes's bunker, we were told that the six-year-old he had kidnapped "was in imminent" danger. What we didn't know at the time was that meant Dykes may have been very close to detonating one of his crude, home-made bombs he had rigged up in and around the underground shelter he was hiding in.
RELATED: A Play-By-Play Account of the FBI's Heroic Hostage Rescue in Alabama
The FBI is slowly releasing more information about the ordeal, including the reason that the FBI knew about the explosives was because they managed to sneak a hidden camera into the bunker. "It’s a technique we may want to use again, so we’re not being specific," an official told NBC News.
According to NBC, there were two bombs found at the site—one in the actual bunker and one in the ventilation pipe that Dykes used to communicate with negotiators. CBS News adds that FBI officials were worried that Dykes was going to booby-trap the bunker or blow himself up, which is why they acted on Monday. It appears agents took advantage of a routine they developed with Dykes—leaving a set of stun grenades hidden among the regular supplies placed at the bunker's entrance on Monday, and then attacking him while he was disoriented. The FBI says that Dykes got one shot off, and agents returned fire, killing him.
Ethan, the five-year old boy who was kidnapped and held in the bunker, is turning six on Wednesday.
