Man charged with bombing East Chicago post office
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) – A northwestern Indiana man was arrested Thursday on federal charges in connection with a pipe bomb that exploded last month at a post office, U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch II announced.
Eric P. Krieg, 45, of Munster was charged with knowing possession of a destructive device and transporting explosive materials, Kirsch said. A complaint alleges Krieg mailed a package at the East Chicago post office that exploded and that he mailed a suspicious package to another individual on Sept. 29.
Kirsch said search warrants were executed Thursday on Krieg’s residence, place of employment and vehicle.
A postal worker suffered minor injuries in the explosion. The pipe bomb caused no damage to the post office about 20 miles southeast of Chicago, Postal Inspector Mary T. Johnson has said.
The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported Krieg is an engineer, a Republican who has twice run for political office, and an outspoken critic of the Lake County Democratic Party and the mayor of neighboring Hammond, Thomas McDermott Jr.
McDermott said last week that the pipe bomb was believed to have been intended for a city contractor. He said a city worker received a bulky package containing threats in a separate incident. McDermott said he had spoken to the FBI about the threats.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Krieg has an attorney.