An air traffic controller is under arrest in North Carolina for allegedly possessing a “weapon of mass destruction.” He is charged with not only possession of the device, but for “acquiring the weapon as well as “transporting” the device.
Paul George Dandan, 30, is an air traffic controller at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina and he was arrested for these charges, along with his roommate, who is facing three charges of manufacturing the weapons. According to Fox News , Dandan had access to a control tower as part of his job. They released a statement upon Dandan’s termination which included the following statement.
“The FAA has terminated the employee’s access to the facility and is cooperating with law enforcement authorities.”
Dandan was booked in Charlotte, along with his roommate Derrick Fells, 39, on Friday. According to Fox , the investigation started with a phone call that tipped off police about a weapon. The call was made to police on November 3 about an individual who was in possession of an explosive.
According to WCNC in Charlotte, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports, “30-year-old Paul George Dandan was charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction. The Federal Aviation Administration not only immediately fired Dandan when he was arrested but they also revoked his access to the Charlotte Douglas Airport. He is currently being held in Mecklenburg County Jail under a $45,000 bond.
#BREAKING : Charlotte air traffic controller arrested for having weapon of mass destruction #CLTAirport https://t.co/RRBY1pSUpj pic.twitter.com/o1Gpnij8BD
— WSOCTV (@wsoctv) November 11, 2017
Members of the FBI are assisting the local police with this investigation, but they do not foresee federal charges filed against Dandan.
On November 3, law enforcement officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to a 911 call in reference to a homemade explosive device in possession of an individual who lived in the 300 block of Minitree Lane.
The CMPD bomb squad was called to the location and agents confirmed that the object in question was a homemade pipe bomb. The investigating detectives learned that it was Dandan’s roommate who built the pipe bomb, Derrick Fells. He had built the explosive to use on his neighbor, but changed his mind and gave the explosive device to Dandan.
#BREAKING Charlotte air traffic controller Paul Dandan arrested for possession of weapon of mass destruction. #FAA says Dandan has been terminated and is investigating. #WCCB pic.twitter.com/pvIz74zVgG
— WCCB Charlotte’s CW (@WCCBCharlotte) November 11, 2017
Warrants for both Dandan and Fells were obtained Friday by detectives. Fells was charged with “three counts of manufacturing a weapon of mass destruction and one count of possession of a weapon of mass destruction.” Dandan was charged with possession, and acquiring and the transporting of a weapon of mass destruction, according to WCNC.
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