Army Veteran Accused Of Placing Bomb Outside Veterans Hospital

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- An Army veteran has been arrested after being accused of placing an improvised explosive device at the Bay Pines Veterans Affair Hospital.

Mark Edward Allen, 60, of St. Petersburg is facing federal charges of possession of an unregistered explosive device.

On May 29, the FBI and local bomb squads were called to the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Bay Pines after employees discovered a bomb outside the facility.

Law enforcement personnel from the FBI, the Tampa Police Department and other agencies responded to the VA Hospital, and a bomb squad determined that the device contained a 9-volt battery, electrical wires, an improvised initiator, an unknown powder and a clothespin switch. Bomb technicians ultimately rendered the device safe.

Two days later, Allen's wife called police to report he made a bomb in his home. She loaded it into her trunk while he was sleeping and took it to a friend's house "because she was scared," according to the affidavit. She also positively identified Allen on surveillance video showing him placing the IED at the hospital.

He was arrested and made his first appearance in federal court on June 4.

An Army veteran, Allen frequents the VA hospital for doctor's appointments and had an appointment scheduled the same week he is accused of leaving the bomb.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Tampa Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police, the Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel George.

If convicted, Allen faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.