FBI raids Madisonville home; arrests man for making homemade bombs

A Madisonville man who was making explosive devices in his home has been arrested by the FBI for dealing in those materials without a license, according to court documents in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The FBI says that Robert Coleman, 66, admitted to agents that he had built improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in his house. The documents also say that Coleman had previously been arrested in 1991 in Jefferson Parish for manufacturing explosive devices though that arrest was later expunged.

Coleman had shipped dozens of explosive equipment elements and chemicals to his Northshore home on 35 Mary St., before he was arrested, according to the U.S. District Court filing released on Friday.

According to the task force charged with the case, Coleman improvised the explosive devices using everyday items, many of which he ordered from Amazon.

These included coffee filters, airbag materials, and a chemical compound associated with cancer treatment, known as hydrazine sulfate.

Read more: WWL (New Orleans, LA)