Police find explosives in Seattle home raid

SEATTLE -- Residents of a south Seattle neighborhood who had been evacuated were back home Wednesday night, after police found explosives and bomb-making materials in a raid on a neighbor's house.

It all started when a landlord tipped off police that his renter had explosives inside the garage.

Neighbors say they feel safer now that whatever homemade explosives and chemicals inside a home in the 10800 block of Forest Avenue South have been cleared.

“It’s pretty unsettling that it was so close to my family here,” said neighbor Ron Hooker.

Investigators found some homemade explosives and an array of other ingredients like acetone, muriatic acid and aluminum powder -- all products anyone can buy at stores.

“All the chemicals you can obtain legally, but it’s still illegal to manufacture explosives without a license,” said King County Sheriff deputy David Mendez.

Authorities, however, said there is no reason to believe the man was plotting an attack of any kind.  Detectives say the man was cooperative and admitted he made explosive targets and other small explosives. The man even showed detectives some of the chemicals under his bed and in a freezer.

“I don’t think he had any ill will.  I just think he was not very intelligent,” said Hooker.

“I think he just has a hobby of playing with explosives all low level things blowing up things in the backyard,” said one neighbor.

Some neighbors say the massive response was an overreaction but other neighbors say they are glad cops caught on to the man’s dangerous hobby.

“Yeah, don’t do it again,” said Hooker.

The King County Sheriff's Office says there wasn't enough explosives to harm the neighbors.

The man was arrested and booked into King County jail. Bail was set at $35,000. As of Wednesday, the man had not been formally charged with a crime.