Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
ERIE, Pa. - The FBI released new details about a bizarre bank robbery plot involving a bomb that was locked onto a pizza deliveryman's neck, saying the mastermind behind the crime wrote detailed instructions threatening death if his demands were not carried out.
Investigators released the information Friday, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the explosion that killed Brian Wells, who died when the crudely made bomb went off in a parking lot after the robbery.
The new details came from four of the nine pages of instructions that were found in Wells' car, apparently left by the person authorities are calling the "Collarbomber."
"MOST IMPORTANT RULE! Do not radio, phone, or contact anyone," the note read. "Alerting authorities, your company, or anyone else will bring your death. If we spot police vehicles or aircraft, you will be killed."
Although Wells' family has maintained he was an innocent victim forced to wear the bomb after he was accosted during a pizza delivery, the FBI still is not saying if Wells was a conspirator or just a hapless victim.
"However, it is the mastermind, that person who oversaw its design and implementation, that has left his blueprint of his personality on every aspect of the crime," FBI agent Bob Rudge said. "We are referring to this person as Collarbomber."
The instructions found in the car urged him to stay close to as many bank employees as possible, allowing him to do the greatest harm if the bomb were to go off.
Rudge said that suggests Wells' getting away with the money was not the primary goal, but that the domination of Wells and his murder may have been.
"FBI analysts believe that Collarbomber has written other letters over his lifetime with similar themes of power, control, ultimatums, limited options, wanting revenge, and dire consequences if his demands are not met," Rudge said.