Sacramento man charged after IED found in airport carry-on bag

Federal prosecutors charged a 49-year-old Sacramento man Wednesday after he allegedly carried an improvised explosive device and multiple bladed weapons through security screening at Sacramento International Airport on May 30, according to court documents filed in the Eastern District of California.

The arrest raises questions about aviation security protocols and the gap between pre-incident warning signs and checkpoint detection — Jones had called the FBI tip line roughly 13 times in the weeks before the incident reporting threats and surveillance, yet cleared TSA screening with an active device in his bag.

Kimani Osayande Jones — who also goes by the last name Jackson — faces a single federal count of attempting to bring a destructive device aboard an aircraft. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

Court documents say Jones passed through TSA screening wearing a face covering and blue latex gloves, with the device concealed in his carry-on baggage. Investigators determined the device contained viable, energetic powder and a fuse capable of damaging an aircraft and causing cabin pressure loss, according to CNN, which reviewed the court filings.

Jones also carried five mobile phones, each with painter's tape covering the cameras. One device held a 15-minute timer set and ready to activate; a message on a second phone read "we will be awaiting your call," court records show.

When TSA agents stopped him, Jones claimed no knowledge of the items, then said "he would be okay with just discarding them," according to court documents. His checked bag on an American Airlines flight bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, was searched upon arrival and contained no illegal items.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office had prior contact with Jones related to paranoid behavior, ABC7 reported. Federal records show he placed roughly 13 calls to the FBI tip line between March and May 30, each time reporting that he was being followed, coerced or threatened.

Defense attorney Meghan McLoughlin said in a statement to CNN that "there is often more to these cases than the government's allegations, and that the criminal process will reveal Mr. Jones' story as well."

No trial date has been set. The case is being prosecuted in the Eastern District of California.