Suspect Charged in Bombings Linked to Idaho Robbery Plans

A man linked to the Aryan Nation white supremacist group was arrested and charged Monday in recent bombings that the FBI said were set as a diversion for planned bank robberies.

Robert Pires was charged with three counts of felony bombing and one count of attempted bombing. Bond for Pires was set at $500,000.

During the hearing, FBI agent Donald Wofford outlined plans by Pires and two alleged co-conspirators in recent explosions in the northern Idaho resort.

Wofford said that three bombs were set off in downtown Coeur d’Alene on Sept. 29 to create a diversion and that the three suspects first wanted to rob two banks and a National Guard armory but were surprised by the law enforcement response when the first bomb exploded.

Pires, 22, contacted federal agents last week and offered to testify about the bombings in exchange for protection, the FBI said.

The names of the alleged co-conspirators were not given in court, but a description of the activities and places involved in verifying Pires’ stories matched what few details are known about the investigation surrounding two men arrested Thursday on counterfeiting charges.

Arrested were David Dorr, security chief for the Church of Jesus Christ Christian Ayran Nation and Edward Hawley. Hawley’s wife, Olive, also was arrested.

The Secret Service arrested Dorr for alleged counterfeiting violations and the Hawleys for allegedly violating terms of their release on a recent counterfeiting arrest in Spokane, Wash.

Asked if Pires was a member of the Aryan Nation church, Kootenai County Prosecutor Glen Walker said police know “he has been out there,” referring to the white supremacist group’s compound in nearby Hayden Lake.

One of the bombing charges filed against Pires stems from an explosion at the home of the Rev. Bill Wassmuth Sept. 15, Walker said. Wassmuth, a Roman Catholic priest, heads the Kootenai Task Force on Human Relations, which was formed in opposition to racist groups like the Aryan Nation.

The other two bombing charges stem from three explosions in downtown Coeur d’Alene Sept. 29. One bomb that exploded outside a restaurant caused no damage, and no charge was filed against Pires in that incident.

The attempted bombing charge related to the discovery of an unexploded bomb on the roof of the armed forces recruiting station.