The Chattanooga Police Department's bomb squad aided federal authorities in the arrest of an attempted murder suspect on Sunday morning in Bledsoe County.
Mitchell Oakes was taken into custody without incident, at 9 a.m. by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents at a home in Bledsoe County, according to police in the Nashville suburb of Franklin.
Oakes, 41, is accused of planting a bomb in a woman's car on Saturday outside of the rehabilitation and assisted living center where she worked in Franklin.
The woman contacted law enforcement after she found the device while getting in her car to leave her job at NHC Cool Springs.
U.S. officials said late Sunday night Oakes, already charged with attempted murder, also faces federal charges of being a felon in possession having an unregistered explosive device.
Michael Knight, spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Oakes will appear in federal court for the Middle District of Tennessee Monday, Sept. 12.
Knight said ATF sent evidence collected from the Franklin crime scene to the bureau's Atlanta laboratory for analysis and determination of explosive components. Investigators used the Bomb Arson Tracking System to check for similar-type devices or incidents across the country, and the U.S. Bomb Data Center provided intelligence to help the investigation, including creating a timeline for the manufacture of the alleged destructive device.
Authorities identified Oakes as the suspect and launched a search for him, with Franklin police offering a cash reward for information and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation adding him to its Top 10 Most Wanted list.
Franklin police said Oakes has extensive knowledge of bomb-making and a violent history. He was also wanted on a felony charge in Virginia.
Chattanooga police spokesman Victor Miller said in an emailed statement that the department's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team supported ATF and other agencies Sunday morning in apprehending Oakes, who was considered armed and dangerous.
"The bomb squad's resources added to the protection of law enforcement officers and the general public during this arrest," Miller said in the statement.
After the device was found, about 60 patients at NHC Cool Springs were moved to other parts of the health-care facility while local and federal bomb specialists used a robot to secure the device. Authorities then detonated the bomb safely.
Franklin police spokesman Charles Warner told the Tennessean the device was "sophisticated and designed to do maximum harm to the intended victim, and would have hurt several others if it had detonated as intended."
Oakes is facing charges of attempted first degree murder, unlawful possession of an explosive device and being a convicted felon in possession of a weapon. Franklin police said he also is wanted on a felony warrant out of Virginia.
Knight said anyone with additional information should contact the ATF at 800-ATF-GUNS or via the mobile app www.reportit.com by using the Nashville Field Division as the location.