“Federal prosecutors Tuesday charged a retired underground miner with extortion and attempting to destroy a building and accused him of leaving pipe bombs and threatening letters in locations across Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. John Douglas Allen, 75, of Whittemore was arrested late Monday following an FBI investigation of a dangerous crime involving homemade bombs, coded letters, spy cameras and counter-surveillance tactics ripped from a Hollywood thriller. He is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Bay City on Tuesday.”

“The bombs, discovered earlier this month at cellphone stores in Cheboygan and Sault Ste. Marie, were stored inside boxes and contained handcuffs with either the nickname ‘Handcuff Johnny’ or the initials ‘HJ.’ FBI investigators analyzed the bombs, which consisted of a metal pipe with two metal end caps containing explosive powder main charges. Metal spheres and nails were found within each device. Allen was charged almost one month after the first of several letters was also found inside a polka-dotted envelope, packaged inside a sealed zip lock bag near a telecommunications tower in St. Ignace, north of the Mackinac Bridge. The letter, which appeared to have been attached to a nearby fence but fell to the ground, contained a threat and extortion demand to AT&T, Verizon and other providers. The letters claimed CMT had almost 30 members who were ‘prepared to travel throughout this Country and begin distroying (sic) inner city tower communication,’ unless several demands were followed, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court. The demands included a $5 million payment and that the telecommunication companies cease distributing ‘immoral content,’ including pornography, cursing and ‘all manner of indecent communication'” – The Detroit News.