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CNN Live Today
Luke John Helder Suspected of Pipe Bombings
Aired May 07, 2002 - 14:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get the latest now on that suspect in the mailbox pipe bomb cases. Rusty Dornin standing by now, Omaha, Nebraska, with an update, where that briefing will get underway in about 25 minutes time.
Rusty, good afternoon.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bill. We're expecting the FBI, ATF and the Postal Inspector to come outside here and talk to us about the latest incidents.
And, of course, the big news, the suspect in this case. The suspect, now, they are saying is Luke John Helder. He is 22 years old. A white male, 150 pounds, 5 foot 9. They are saying he is armed and dangerous. He is driving a 1992 gray four-door Honda Accord.
He also has a Minnesota license place of EZL 783.
Now, from what we understand, it was from someone coming forward to talk to the FBI, that's how they got the tip on this particular suspect.
The latest bombing incident, of course, was in Amarillo, Texas, at a home there, where the bomb was discovered. Robert Martinez discovered the bomb last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT MARTINEZ, FOUND BOMB: It was like a little bomb, like a pipe, and the middle got like a tape, and a big needle in the middle and a whole bunch of wires, and a little rope in the middle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Was there a battery?
MARTINEZ: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Now, it's amazing to see the trail since Friday afternoon, from Illinois, of course through Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and Texas. We figured out it's more than 1,300 miles if you just travel it on a straight line, not to mention going off into all of these rural towns to deposit the pipe bombs. So it's quite a trip to have conducted it over the past four days. Hopefully, we're going to be learning more about the suspect any sightings or exactly how they found out that this was the man they were looking for -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rusty, just to put an underline on it -- everyone of these pipe bombs, they believe, was physically dropped off in the mailbox, correct?
DORNIN: Every one of them, they believe, was physically dropped off in the mailbox, that's correct.
The only differences in the bombs have been, the ones in Illinois and Iowa were designed so that any sort motion would set them off. The detonators were very sensitive.
The ones in Nebraska, Colorado and Texas, apparently were not as sensitive. The detonators were not set -- they were set to explode in certain cases, but not from just a motion to the device.
HEMMER: What is the briefing all about? Do you have a beat on that just yet -- Rusty?
DORNIN: They've been very tight-lipped about exactly what they're going to be talking about here. But we're assuming, of course, that it has to do with Luke John Helder and hopefully how they obtained this information, who came forward and that sort of thing, and see.
The profile that we had heard about, the one thing that doesn't match was they were talking about a white male who was in his 30's or older. Now, this man is 22 years old. Traveling alone, though. So that definitely fits the profile that we've been hearing.
HEMMER: All right, Rusty. We'll be there live when it happens, and so will you.
Rusty Dornin, live in Omaha.
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