California
Man is charged with bringing a bomb in carry-on bag to airport
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A man carrying what authorities described as an explosive device powerful enough to damage a plane, as well as a torch lighter, knife, zip ties and other items, was arrested after trying to pass through a Sacramento International Airport security checkpoint over the weekend, federal prosecutors said.
The 49-year-old from Sacramento was wearing a scarf covering his face and latex gloves, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a news release. He also had five cell phones: one with a 15-minute timer set to begin, a second with a message on the screen from another phone number saying, “we will be awaiting your call.”
Evidence photos released by prosecutors show a cardboard tube about the size of a toilet paper roll fitted with a green fuse. Bomb technicians tested the device. The powder and fuse “were determined to be viable and energetic,” Grant said.
If the device had detonated next to a window on a pressurized aircraft flying above 10,000 feet (3 kilometers), Grant said, “it had the potential to damage the aircraft and cause a possible loss of cabin pressure.”
The man was arrested Saturday and appeared in federal court in Sacramento on Wednesday. He is charged with unlawful possession of explosive material in an airport.
His public defender, Meghan McLoughlin, said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that “there is often more to these cases than the government’s allegations, and that the criminal process will reveal” her client’s story as well.
Washington
Man convicted in Jan. 6 riot at U.S. Capitol has a job at the Pentagon
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has given a man convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol a job in the Pentagon’s policy office, according to officials and internal records.
“Mr. Elias Irizarry is a qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to have him as a political appointee,” acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez said in a social media post this week.
Irizarry, whose appointment was first reported by The Washington Post, was convicted in 2023 of a misdemeanor trespassing charge after a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol. He showed contrition when he was sentenced to two weeks behind bars in 2023, court documents show.
Internal Pentagon records described to The Associated Press show that Irizarry has been assigned to the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy, which is tasked with providing national security advice and support on military strategy and planning to the defense secretary.
It was not clear from Valdez’s statement how long Irizarry had been in the post, and the Pentagon declined to provide more information.
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on social media: “This administration thinks a convicted Jan. 6 rioter should be doing that kind of work?????”
Irizarry was a 19-year-old freshman at the Citadel military college in South Carolina and a Civilian Air Patrol cadet when he joined the attack on the Capitol, court documents show. He climbed through a broken window, entered a conference room, carried a metal pole through the Capitol and took photos before leaving the building, the records say.
“Because of his training, Irizarry was undoubtedly aware of the safety threat posed by a mass of angry rioters to the Congressional members and staff inside the building,” prosecutors said in a court filing.
Irizarry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor trespassing charge in October 2022. In March 2023, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced Irizarry to 14 days behind bars.
Before learning his sentence, Irizarry told the judge that he brought “great shame upon myself, my family and even my country,” according to a transcript.
“The idea of Americans being willing to fight other Americans and tear down the very institutions that millions of other Americans sacrificed and built and protect is horrible. It is something I have to live with being a part of,” he said.
Irizarry is not the only convicted participant of the Jan. 6 riot to find a job within the Trump administration.
Jared Wise, a former FBI agent charged with joining the crowd, was hired at the Justice Department last year to serve as an adviser to the department’s pardon attorney.
Wise was on trial in Washington when Trump returned to the White House in January and immediately pardoned, commuted prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of cases for all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in the attack. The case against Wise was dismissed before the jury reached a verdict.
He announced on social media in April that he had resigned from the department, saying: “I returned to Washington to fully expose the abuses by the FBI and DOJ against J6 defendants, but it became clear that this will only happen from outside of government. So I left and will do so.”
Georgia
Prosecutors drop misdemeanor charges against Falcons rookie
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Prosecutors in Georgia have dropped two misdemeanor charges against Atlanta Falcons third-round draft pick Zachariah Branch.
The former Georgia player was arrested in Athens the weekend before the NFL draft and was charged with obstructing public sidewalks/streets and the obstruction of a law enforcement officer. He was released on a combined $39 bail.
At the time, the Athens-Clarke County Police said they were summoned to an early morning incident in which a large crowd had gathered outside a bar in Athens and was blocking the entrance to the building. Some people, a statement from the police said, were attempting to enter the bar that was closed.
Branch’s attorney, Kim Stephens, issued a statement confirming that the charges had been dropped.
“After reviewing all evidence, including videos, and discussing the case with us, the State agreed to dismiss all charges against Mr. Branch yesterday. Zachariah cooperated fully with law enforcement and did not commit a crime on the night of his arrest, and never should have been arrested. We are glad this matter is over and that Mr. Branch’s excellent reputation and good name have been restored.”
The Falcons took Branch with the No. 79 overall pick in April.
He led the playoff-bound Bulldogs with 81 catches, 811 yards and six touchdown receptions in 2025. Branch and his brother, Zion, both transferred to Georgia from Southern California last year. Zion Branch was a safety for the Bulldogs.
Man is charged with bringing a bomb in carry-on bag to airport
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A man carrying what authorities described as an explosive device powerful enough to damage a plane, as well as a torch lighter, knife, zip ties and other items, was arrested after trying to pass through a Sacramento International Airport security checkpoint over the weekend, federal prosecutors said.
The 49-year-old from Sacramento was wearing a scarf covering his face and latex gloves, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a news release. He also had five cell phones: one with a 15-minute timer set to begin, a second with a message on the screen from another phone number saying, “we will be awaiting your call.”
Evidence photos released by prosecutors show a cardboard tube about the size of a toilet paper roll fitted with a green fuse. Bomb technicians tested the device. The powder and fuse “were determined to be viable and energetic,” Grant said.
If the device had detonated next to a window on a pressurized aircraft flying above 10,000 feet (3 kilometers), Grant said, “it had the potential to damage the aircraft and cause a possible loss of cabin pressure.”
The man was arrested Saturday and appeared in federal court in Sacramento on Wednesday. He is charged with unlawful possession of explosive material in an airport.
His public defender, Meghan McLoughlin, said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that “there is often more to these cases than the government’s allegations, and that the criminal process will reveal” her client’s story as well.
Washington
Man convicted in Jan. 6 riot at U.S. Capitol has a job at the Pentagon
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has given a man convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol a job in the Pentagon’s policy office, according to officials and internal records.
“Mr. Elias Irizarry is a qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to have him as a political appointee,” acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez said in a social media post this week.
Irizarry, whose appointment was first reported by The Washington Post, was convicted in 2023 of a misdemeanor trespassing charge after a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol. He showed contrition when he was sentenced to two weeks behind bars in 2023, court documents show.
Internal Pentagon records described to The Associated Press show that Irizarry has been assigned to the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy, which is tasked with providing national security advice and support on military strategy and planning to the defense secretary.
It was not clear from Valdez’s statement how long Irizarry had been in the post, and the Pentagon declined to provide more information.
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on social media: “This administration thinks a convicted Jan. 6 rioter should be doing that kind of work?????”
Irizarry was a 19-year-old freshman at the Citadel military college in South Carolina and a Civilian Air Patrol cadet when he joined the attack on the Capitol, court documents show. He climbed through a broken window, entered a conference room, carried a metal pole through the Capitol and took photos before leaving the building, the records say.
“Because of his training, Irizarry was undoubtedly aware of the safety threat posed by a mass of angry rioters to the Congressional members and staff inside the building,” prosecutors said in a court filing.
Irizarry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor trespassing charge in October 2022. In March 2023, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced Irizarry to 14 days behind bars.
Before learning his sentence, Irizarry told the judge that he brought “great shame upon myself, my family and even my country,” according to a transcript.
“The idea of Americans being willing to fight other Americans and tear down the very institutions that millions of other Americans sacrificed and built and protect is horrible. It is something I have to live with being a part of,” he said.
Irizarry is not the only convicted participant of the Jan. 6 riot to find a job within the Trump administration.
Jared Wise, a former FBI agent charged with joining the crowd, was hired at the Justice Department last year to serve as an adviser to the department’s pardon attorney.
Wise was on trial in Washington when Trump returned to the White House in January and immediately pardoned, commuted prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of cases for all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in the attack. The case against Wise was dismissed before the jury reached a verdict.
He announced on social media in April that he had resigned from the department, saying: “I returned to Washington to fully expose the abuses by the FBI and DOJ against J6 defendants, but it became clear that this will only happen from outside of government. So I left and will do so.”
Georgia
Prosecutors drop misdemeanor charges against Falcons rookie
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Prosecutors in Georgia have dropped two misdemeanor charges against Atlanta Falcons third-round draft pick Zachariah Branch.
The former Georgia player was arrested in Athens the weekend before the NFL draft and was charged with obstructing public sidewalks/streets and the obstruction of a law enforcement officer. He was released on a combined $39 bail.
At the time, the Athens-Clarke County Police said they were summoned to an early morning incident in which a large crowd had gathered outside a bar in Athens and was blocking the entrance to the building. Some people, a statement from the police said, were attempting to enter the bar that was closed.
Branch’s attorney, Kim Stephens, issued a statement confirming that the charges had been dropped.
“After reviewing all evidence, including videos, and discussing the case with us, the State agreed to dismiss all charges against Mr. Branch yesterday. Zachariah cooperated fully with law enforcement and did not commit a crime on the night of his arrest, and never should have been arrested. We are glad this matter is over and that Mr. Branch’s excellent reputation and good name have been restored.”
The Falcons took Branch with the No. 79 overall pick in April.
He led the playoff-bound Bulldogs with 81 catches, 811 yards and six touchdown receptions in 2025. Branch and his brother, Zion, both transferred to Georgia from Southern California last year. Zion Branch was a safety for the Bulldogs.
