Would-be bomber gets 10 years

VALDOSTA, Ga. — A South Georgia man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday for attempting to obtain a bomb via the internet with the intent of killing someone, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Clinton Scott Bass, 34, of Hahira, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. Federal District Court Judge Hugh Lawson in Valdosta, according to a justice department statement.

On Aug. 4, 2016, Bass made contact with someone at a “dark web” website, seeking a bomb that could be attached to a vehicle and would detonate when the door was opened or closed, according to a plea deal entered into court records on April 28.

The “someone” was actually an undercover law enforcement agent, according to the plea deal.

Bass paid for the bomb with $550 of virtual currency and had it delivered to a vacant house in Hahira, stated court documents.

Law enforcement delivered the “bomb” — actually an inert device — to the address, and at 3 a.m. April 17, Bass took the device to his intended victim’s residence, the plea deal says. Law enforcement retrieved the device and determined Bass had followed his seller’s instructions on “arming” the bomb, court papers show. He was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation later that morning.

The victim’s name has not been publicly disclosed. No one was injured in the incident, the justice department said.

Bass agreed to plead guilty to attempting to receive and transport explosive materials with intent to kill, injure or intimidate, court records show.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Service, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department and the Hahira Police Department — even garnering national media attention in recent months.

Richards writes for the Valdosta, Georgia Daily Times.