FBI agents raided a Portland, OR, home Monday morning looking for evidence to tie a suspect to death threats against Sheriff Joe Arpaio on the blog website TargetingCops.com.
An FBI SWAT team, acting on a request from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, entered the home and at one point evacuated the area after discovering what appeared to be an improvised explosive device, MCSO said. A bomb squad later determined the device to be a prop.
As many as eight people were suspected to be living in the home that had been under surveillance for a number of days in preparation for the raid. The FBI in Portland chose Monday as the day for the raid because it was a holiday and a nearby elementary school would be closed, according to MCSO.
Authorities said they would determine whether the evidence collected at the home would tie suspect Clifton Brooks, 35, to the blog postings.
Maricopa County sheriff's detectives have been investigating Brooks since January when they became aware of the website.
Someone posted a photo of Deputy William Coleman last week on the former website with "LOL" over the picture. Coleman was killed during a shootout in Anthem on Jan. 8.
There was also a picture of Arpaio on the site with text claiming, "Wanted: Dead or Alive. You're next Joe, and watch your back, bitch."
Detectives discovered during the investigation that Brooks was convicted in 2001 of making a bomb threat in interstate or foreign commerce.
On Jan. 18, MCSO detectives flew to Santa Clara, CA, to serve search warrants on the internet search engine Google. Google removed the site from the internet.
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Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Clifton Brooks (r)
Courtesy KPTV-TV, Portland
Courtesy KPTV-TV, Portland
