A Florida man has been charged after reportedly leaving two improvised explosive devices in toilets at the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa.
Bryan Robert Eckley, 46, of Tampa, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of creating, possessing, throwing, projecting, placing, or discharging any hazardous device, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Thursday.
Eckley allegedly put two remote-controlled improvised explosive devices in two male restrooms at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino on September 29, according to FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass.
An employee discovered one of the devices and reported it, prompting the casino’s evacuation.
The Seminole Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad arrived to the location and determined that both devices were safe.
The inquiry discovered that on September 25, three days before the devices were discovered, a guy was seen behaving “very suspiciously” at the casino. According to Glass, the individual was driving a white Ford Explorer with distinctive features.
Investigators discovered that Eckley bought the automobile under an identity, with a burner cellphone, and paid cash.
According to Glass, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested Eckley for aggravated assault with a handgun two days before the devices were discovered on September 27.
Evidence from that case was compared to the casino case, and Glass found a similarity.
“I cannot emphasize enough how much Mr. Eckley sought to disguise his identity. He utilized a mask. He used an alias, many burner mobile phones, cash transactions, and, more crucially, the Seminole Hard Rock has a terrific, great camera system, and you can see him clearly adjusting the way he goes throughout the casino to try to throw off any leads that we can get that way,” Glass said.
The event is still being investigated, and it’s unclear what prompted Eckley to leave the explosives at the casino.