Oklahoma Church-Bombing Suspect Has Ties To Chicago Area
CHICAGO (CBS) – A 23-year-old man with ties to the Chicago area has been arrested for allegedly trying to fire-bomb dozens of churches in Oklahoma.
KMOA-TV in Pittsburg, Kansas, reports Gregory A. Weiler II was taken into custody late this week after authorities found suspicious items in a dumpster at a Miami, Oklahoma hotel. Court records indicate 52 Molotov cocktails were found in the trash.
Weiler, who reportedly was from Illinois, was charged Friday with a threat to use an explosive-incendiary device and violation of the Oklahoma Anti-terrorism Act. Media reports say he had targeted the churches of Miami for destruction.
"We're really sad to hear that this has happened, and we do miss him. We haven't had contact with him in a while, and we just hope he gets the help he needs," the suspect's sister, Jillian Weiler, told CBS 2 Saturday night at a relative's Elk Grove Village home.
A Facebook page that appeared to be Gregory Weiler's indicated he graduated from Bradley University in Peoria in 2008.
Miami, a city of less than 14,000, is in the northeast corner of the Oklahoma.
Miami police declined to make anyone available to comment Saturday and said the case was under the jurisdiction of the FBI.
