The man admitted to packing explosives in his suitcase on a flight to Florida, according to the feds.
ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania – A Pennsylvanian man admitted to packing explosives, fuses and a lighter in a suitcase he checked in for a commercial flight to Florida and fled Lehigh Valley Airport for fear of arrest, a court document filed Thursday said.
Mark Muffley, 40, from Lansford, called his girlfriend for a ride and soon changed his phone number, U.S. Attorney Jacqueline S. Romero said in a memo demanding he be arrested without bail on the charges. A detention hearing was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
“The luggage also contained a can of butane, a lighter, a tube with residual white powder, presumably methamphetamine, a cordless drill with rechargeable batteries, and two GFCI outlets sealed with black tape,” the detention memorandum says.
Investigators said the items were in the same bag, greatly increasing the risk of an explosion. Sockets are a type of circuit breaker.
“His actions seriously endangered the lives of employees and visitors to the airport, and if the explosive device had not been intercepted, then the passengers of the flight and the aircraft itself,” the memo says.
Muffley was arrested at his home on Monday evening, hours after checking in for an Allegiant Air flight at Lehigh Valley International Airport. The flight was bound for Sanford, Florida, near Orlando.
According to the criminal case, he was charged with possession of an explosive at an airport, and with possession or attempting to plant an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft. A message left Thursday for Muffley federal public defender Timothy Wright was not immediately returned.
His record includes several arrests and prison terms for drug possession, theft, drunk driving and other charges, the memo says. The document says his girlfriend told authorities that he feared being arrested at the airport on an outstanding child support order.
Authorities said they found a three-inch “round compound” wrapped in paper and plastic wrap that they believed contained a mixture of flash powder and other materials used to make commercial-grade fireworks.
Attached to it was a “quick-acting fuse” that looked like a candle wick – apparently part of the compound’s original production – as well as a slow-burning “hobby fuse” that appeared to have been added later, they said.
They believe the materials could ignite from heat and friction and pose a significant risk to the aircraft and its passengers, the criminal complaint says.
Muffley left the airport after his name appeared on the airport’s public address system, authorities said.
He remained in custody pending a 1:30 p.m. hearing in Allentown, where Muffley was scheduled to attend via videoconference.
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