Federal documents give details on explosive device found in Fort Smith home
Federal court documents give more details about what kind of explosive device was found in the home of a man arrested in Austin, Texas, by the FBI Tuesday.
Neil Ravi Mehta, 31, of Fort Smith, an employer for Federal Armament LLC. was wanted on a federal charge of having an unregistered explosive device. An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms who is an explosives expert found what he called an improvised explosive bomb at Mehta's home at 6999 Free Ferry Road on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Mehta was arrested Monday night without incident by FBI agents in Austin, an FBI spokesman reported.
"The FBI Little Rock is grateful for the exceptional work performed by the FBI Austin RA (Resident Agency) as well as our partners at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, IRS Criminal Investigations, the Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General, and the Fort Smith Police Department," the FBI reported Tuesday.
Mehta 1-31 Complaint by USA TODAY Network on Scribd
Mehta is listed as an employer in a company that makes weapons and was ordered to pay overtime to employees in 2022 by the U.S. Department of Labor, court records from the U.S. District Court For The Western District of Arkansas in Fort Smith show.
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, law enforcement officers were seen at Mehta's home near Carol Ann Cross Park near South 74th Street and Free Ferry. He was not found at his home. Sebastian County Assessor's office records show the owner as Kala Mehta. The house is 4,059 square feet and is valued at $495,000.
Court documents show an ATF explosives enforcement officer determined a weapon found at the home was an improvised explosive bomb.
The search of his home was part of a court-appointed action connected to the civil case, an FBI spokesman confirmed.
An affidavit unsealed in federal court states Mehta is charged with possessing an unregistered destructive device, "namely, an improvised explosive bomb." It is not listed in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, court documents state.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case, when agents went to his home on Tuesday, Jan. 31, Mehta "fled on foot."
He got a ride from a neighbor before he borrowed a vehicle from an associate, court records state.
In an area of the kitchen described as "the top left corner of the kitchen island" a destructive device was located. Bomb technicians used x-ray to determine whether it contained a combination of hazardous materials.
"The device was rendered safe by bomb technicians on the scene and the evidence was collected," the affidavit filed in the case states.
An ATF agent who is an expert on explosive devices determined it was designed as a weapon. The device was about two feet long and had a handle on one end with a football-shaped tip that appears to detach.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Improvised explosive bomb found in home of Fort Smith man
