An Arizona woman accused of mailing bomb-making instructions and promotional materials from terrorist groups to a state prison in what investigators say was a plot to kill a warden was booked on suspicion of terrorism.
Michelle Bastian was taken into custody after agents from the FBI and the Arizona Attorney General's Office served search warrants Wednesday in Chandler and Florence. In court documents, Bastian is accused of helping her already incarcerated husband, Thomas Bastian, to create an explosive device to kill the prison warden.
Investigators say her husband converted to Islam after entering prison and later became radicalized. Investigators say Michelle Bastian mentioned in phone calls with her husband that he is a supporter of the Islamic State.
Mia Garcia, a spokesperson for the attorney general, saids because Arizona has a strict conspiracy to commit terrorism statute, things can move more quickly in state court.
"Our goal is to stop these homegrown terror plots before innocent lives are lost and this is a new initiative by the FBI in our office and these terror attack are a huge threat in our community and we are now moving to prosecute some of these cases in state court instead of federal court," she said.
While Garcia could not comment on the case itself, court documents showed that Bastian’s husband had converted to Islam and had become radicalized. A search of his cell by the Arizona Department of Corrections found terrorist publications distributed by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Associated Press contributed to this story.
