SoDo suspect who put pipe bomb in parking garage charged

Update Jan 13:

A 49-year-old man who was wanted for several crimes around Seattle was charged Thursday for planting a pipe bomb in a SoDo parking garage.

Prosecutors say Osman Ibrahim pleaded not guilty when he was formally charged with possession of an explosive device and second-degree malicious placement of an explosive.

Ibrahim’s motive is unknown, but a Seattle Police Department bomb detective said the nine-inch metal pipe filled with explosives and with fuses sticking out of it could have killed people if it was detonated.

Original Jan 4:

A man accused of placing a pipe bomb in a SoDo office building parking garage had a history of criminal convictions and three active warrants in King County when he was arrested Dec. 29, according to King County prosecutors.

Authorities identified 38-year-old Osman Ibrahim as the man seen in surveillance footage placing clothing over a security camera and eventually leaving a pipe bomb in an alcove of the garage.

Seattle police arrest man who allegedly placed pipe bomb in SoDo parking garage

According to court documents, employees sweeping the garage of trash found the device and alerted the police. Authorities evacuated the area and called in a bomb squad to disarm and remove the pipe bomb, which was described as a 9-inch piece of metal with wires sticking out of it.

Upon arriving at the scene, police spoke with the employees, who showed them a photo they had taken of the device. Based on the photo, members of the Seattle Police Department bomb squad determined they had reason to believe the employees had found an actual explosive device, according to court documents.

The bomb squad removed the device using remote-controlled robots, x-ray machines, and full-body protective bomb suits.

The device never exploded, but detectives said in the probable cause affidavit that demolitions testing revealed it was made of explosive material, contained a fuse, and could have injured or killed people had it been detonated.

Even before the explosive scare, court documents say Ibrahim was well known to the building’s staff, who nicknamed him ‘Hatchet’ after seeing him wielding an axe.

Prosecutors and law enforcement say they’re also well acquainted with him, as he has several prior criminal convictions and three active warrants at the time of his arrest.

He was arrested after an officer, and one of the employees saw him passing the scene on a bicycle.

While still at the scene, Ibrahim told police that he had been in the parking garage and left the explosive device behind because he had no use for it, documents say.

Ibrahim now faces up to 20 years in prison for felony charges of possessing and the malicious placement of an explosive device.

Ibrahim is scheduled for arraignment Jan. 12.

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