News-Record.com

Homemade napalm, a nail bomb- and this kid weanted to be an Army chaplain. MANY other people's funerals have been disrupted and their families abused by the Phelps Phamily over the years- 2hatever happened to that " Turn the other Cheek" admonition?

LU student faces federal charge
csidener@newsadvance.com
May 23, 2007

The Liberty University student who was arrested late Monday after authorities found five napalm-like bombs in the trunk of his car told authorities that he did not want to hurt anyone.

That is what investigators wrote in the criminal complaint charging Mark David Uhl of Amissville with the federal crime of unlawful possession of a destructive device.

“He was going to set the devises off in a field and run,” the complaint said. “Uhl stated he knew it was wrong to have the Napalm and he did not want to hurt anyone.”

The 19-year-old was in federal court Wednesday for his preliminary hearing. He must return to federal court in five days to face his arraignment and detention hearing, said Heidi Coy, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Roanoke.

Meanwhile, he is being held in the Roanoke City Jail.

Uhl was arrested in Campbell County on charges of possession and manufacturing of an explosive device. Coy said she was not sure if those charges will still be prosecuted in light of the federal charge.

The 19-year-old had told Campbell County investigators that he made the bombs in preparation for the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s funeral Tuesday.

Sheriff Terry Gaddy said Tuesday night that investigators think Uhl did not intend to disrupt the funeral services or harm the Falwell family. Gaddy said he may have been concerned with protesters from Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, who were picketing Falwell’s funeral. At least two other teenagers may be connected to the case.

Investigators said a family member of Uhl’s overheard him talking about having homemade bombs in his car. That relative drove his car to a business on Timberlake Road and met up with authorities.

According to the criminal complaint, a Campbell County deputy who was dispatched to the call found a round cookie tin that held five red cylinders complete with fuses and a red canister of gas in the trunk of the car. That car is registered to Uhl.

The containers held a mixture of gas, oil and Styrofoam, the criminal complaint said.

“When all of the parts of the mixture are combined, it forms a sticky gel substance, and when ignited, the objects could possibly explode,” the complaint said. “The VSP (Virginia State Police) Agents described the objects as being a homemade napalm explosive device.”

Also in the vehicle was a duffle bag containing nails, flashlights, assorted tools, bottles of Tabasco sauce and a roll of red duct tape.

The complaint said one of the cylinders had nails inside of it that were to be used as shrapnel.

Uhl told investigators that he learned about how to make the devices from the Anarchist Cookbook, the complaint said. He made them more than two weeks ago with things he already had in the trunk of his car.

Uhl’s MySpace.com Web page said he plans to join the Army as an officer when he graduates from Liberty University. He listed his current classes as religion, history, political science and education, among others.

He graduated from Liberty High School in Bealeton, Va., last summer and works as a busser for Blue Ridge Seafood in Gainesville, Va., according to the MySpace.com page.

The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, Virginia State Police and the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office on the case.

I've heard from many other Christians over the years who choose to ignore or rationalize away things in the Bible that they don't like, such as stuff like dealing kindly with outsiders, praying for those who persecute you and so forth. Just goes to show the truth of the wise person who said, "No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means."

Hopefully, the "bomb them and let Jesus sort them out" type Christian will be a very rare breed for a long time. Sadly, there's no way to assure that.

BTW, Nancy -- any word on when your web folks will be able to get this "remember me?" function working again?