The FBI had received a tip in March 2023 that Noah Robert Calderon, 22, detonated a homemade bomb in his Burleson neighborhood.
DALLAS — Editor’s note: The video above is from a report on May 17, 2023.
A North Texas man who “idolized” mass shooters pleaded guilty on Thursday to possessing a homemade bomb, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
Officials said Noah Robert Calderon, 22, made the guilty plea on one count of possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of receipt of child pornography.
Calderon was arrested last April after federal agents executed a search warrant on his home in Burleson. The investigation began in October 2022 after the FBI received a tip about his social media activity.
According to court documents, the 22-year-old was obsessed with mass shootings, such as the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School. He would post photos of himself wearing tactical-style vests and posing with AR-15-style rifles, along with images of homemade explosives.
The FBI also received a tip in March 2023 that Calderon detonated a homemade explosive at his Burleson home. This was corroborated with 911 calls at the time about a loud concussive sound and smoke, according to officials.
Calderon admitted in plea papers to purchasing explosive materials and performing Google searches on how to make bombs, according to officials. In the plea papers, he also admitted to storing 659.2 grams of explosive powder in his garage.
Investigators also found sexually explicit videos from a video chat between Calderon and a 13-year-old girl, officials said. The 22-year-old admitted in plea papers that he was aware of her age when he saved the videos.
Calderon faces up to 30 years in federal prison. His sentencing is set for Nov. 3, 2023.