Man charged with planting 20 explosives near Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial

Prosecutors in Kansas City filed 20 charges Wednesday against a man accused of planting 20 explosives in a trashcan near the National WWI Museum and Memorial last week.

Owen Canizales Argueta, 22, faces 20 counts of possession of an illegal explosive, Jazzlyn Johnson, director of communications for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, said in a press release Wednesday.

On Feb. 24, members with the Kansas City Police Department’s bomb and arson squad responded to 2 Memorial Drive, near the National WWI Museum and Memorial, after custodial staff discovered what they believed to be explosives in a trash can, according to a probable cause statement in support of Canizales Argueta’s arrest.

Custodial staff were cleaning out trash cans in the area when an employee found a red plastic bag, located on the west side of the Liberty Memorial, near a sidewalk and parking spots, the statement said.

Read more: Kansas City Star