An air traffic controller at Charlotte Douglas International Airport was arrested Friday on multiple charges including possessing and acquiring a weapon of mass destruction.
The Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department arrested Paul Dandan, an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration. Authorities say the pipe bomb was not found at the airport but rather at the man's apartment. Police and a bomb squad responded to the apartment after a 911 call.
The 30-year-old air traffic controller has been fired by the FAA who also released this statement Friday, "The FAA has terminated the employee's access to the facility and is cooperating with law enforcement authorities."
A spokesperson for Charlotte Douglas International Airport also released a statement saying, "The FAA employee only had access to the offsite Air Traffic Control Tower and had no access to the restricted areas of the terminal or ramp. He did not have access to any aircraft at the Airport."
Dandan had a roommate, Derrick Fells, which is how police say he acquired the WMD. Fells has also been charged with four different counts which stem from constructing and possessing the device. North Carolina law defines a weapon of mass destruction as any explosive devices such as bombs, grenades, and rockets.
<i>On Twitter:</i>
<a href="https://twitter.com/ErvinProduction">@ErvinProduction</a>
Tips? Info? Send me a message!
