Suspect held in mail bomb; religious leader targeted, police say

Wednesday, March 31, 1999 | 9:07 a.m.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested Frank Darwin Alexander after finding explosive devices in his hotel room. Alexander is being held on eight explosives charges.

Investigators told The Dallas Morning News that they have linked Alexander to an explosive package found in a holding area of a Greyhound bus station. The bomb found in Las Vegas was addressed to an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said ATF Special Agent Tracy Hite.

Hite, based in the Las Vegas ATF field office, declined to identify the San Antonio bomb target. Linda Kirksey, a U.S. Postal Service investigator in Dallas, did not return a call today from The Associated Press.

The Dallas mail bomb exploded Sunday on a conveyor belt at the bulk-mail facility. No one was injured, but the blast on a conveyer belt about 30 feet off the floor touched off a small fire. Damage was described as slight.

"The danger in a mail bomb is the projectiles," Ms. Kirksey told the newspaper on Tuesday. "This type of device had the potential to kill."

Las Vegas officers said they learned of Alexander after he allegedly telephoned a mental health facility, saying he planned to use explosives.