MASON, OHIO MAN ARRESTED FOR POSSESSING DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE AFTER FBI INVESTIGATION

A 20-year-old Mason, Ohio man, JAMES RIVER PHILLIPS, was arrested Thursday by the FBI Cincinnati Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force for allegedly possessing a destructive device and an unregistered firearm. The arrest followed an investigation into an improvised explosive device (IED) discovered at a soccer complex, which led to the uncovering of bomb-making materials.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force executed a federal court-ordered search in Mason, Ohio, resulting in Phillips’ arrest. ELENA IATAROLA, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office, stated, “The FBI and our partners worked together to ensure his actions were stopped before there was any risk to public safety.”

According to an affidavit, a Lebanon, Ohio police officer discovered the IED at a soccer complex around 12:30 a.m. on September 22, 2024. Just prior to the discovery, the officer observed two men in their early 20s leaving the parking lot in a silver SUV. The driver, described as having long curly hair, was instructed to leave the premises as the complex was closed. After the men departed, the officer found the IED in the parking lot where the SUV had been parked.

The IED, which had wires connected to a control switch with a red light, was later analyzed by the Butler County Bomb Squad (BCBS). The device contained nickel hydrazine nitrate and erythritol tetranitrate. During testing, the detonator exploded, damaging a handheld chemical identification device.

Investigators used cellular data to track Phillips’ phone to the parking lot between 12:15 a.m. and 12:21 a.m. on the night of the incident. The phone allegedly sent two text messages shortly after the encounter with police. A driver’s license photo obtained on December 2, 2024, showed Phillips with the same curly hair described by the officer.

A search of Phillips’ Apple iCloud account revealed a video from April 5, 2024, showing two unidentified men in a parking lot near portable restrooms and a soccer net. One of the men counted down before an explosive device detonated. In another video, an unidentified man is heard saying, “James, we gotta go,” and “James, come on.” GPS data confirmed the video was recorded at the same soccer complex where the IED was later found.

Additional photos and videos from July 21, 2024, depicted explosions, including the destruction of a car. In one video, Phillips is seen holding a detonation device as another man counts down. After the explosion, an unidentified male remarked, “It blew the car above the tree line.”

The investigation revealed that Phillips had purchased precursor chemicals and materials for homemade explosives, which were shipped to his residences in Mason and Oxford, Ohio. His iCloud account also allegedly contained recipes and notes on constructing explosive devices, as well as photos of Phillips assembling devices in a shed in the woods.

Phillips is scheduled to appear in court Friday for a bond hearing and will remain in custody until then.

**Sources:**
[FBI Cincinnati Field Office](https://www.fbi.gov/field-offices/cincinnati)
[Butler County Bomb Squad](https://www.butlercountysheriff.org/)