TUPELO, MISS– A Saltillo man is in the lockup today on charges of placing a weapon of mass destruction.
Police say Marshall Leonard drove to the front of the Walmart in Tupelo, lit an explosive device, and tossed it into the front foyer of the store.
He did warn an employee to run. No one was hurt in the blast.
The FBI has been contacted to help with this investigation.
Leonard is an avid confederate and state flag supporter, and in the past has lead demonstrations and boycotts against Walmart for discontinuing the flag on their shelves.
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that Leonard had posted on their Facebook page threatening an attack of this type.
“Journal corporate, you are on final warning,” he wrote on October 28th, “You are part of the problem. As a result of this, y’all are going down, along with Walmart, WTVA, Reeds department store, and all the rest of the anti-American crooks. I’m not kidding. No messing around anymore!”
That was written on the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal page on Wednesday. The bomb was set off on Sunday. News Mississippi attempted to discuss this with the paper, but they declined to comment.
Ironically, it was the state flag hanging from Leonard’s car that helped him get arrested, says the paper.
The Tupelo Police Department says the bomb was small and didn’t cause damage to the store. Leonard will stay in the Lee County lockup until he sees the judge on Tuesday. His charges could lead to a life behind bars.
