The student, 19-year-old Mark D. Uhl of Amissville, Va., reportedly told authorities that he was making the bombs to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral service. The devices were made of a combination of gasoline and detergent, a law enforcement official told ABC News' Pierre Thomas. They were "slow burn," according to the official, and would not have been very destructive.
"There were indications that there were others involved in the manufacturing of these devices and we are still investigating these individuals with the assistance of ATF [Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms], Virginia State Police and FBI. At this time it is not believed that these devices were going to be used to interrupt the funeral services at Liberty University," the Campbell County Sheriff's Office said in a release.
The Phelps clan, that miserable pack of scoundrels that has made a name for itself by testing the civility of mourning families, was clearly a target, if not the target here if there is any truth to what Uhl said. I'm not buying it 100% myself, but I am inclined to believe that given the Phelps' propensity for making people seeth with rage over their actions, that there is a distinct possibility that Uhl may have intended to use this to stop them, regardless of the cost. It's bound to happen, and I'm surprised it has taken this long before someone actually even seriously considered using force to maim or murder them. Perhaps all it took this time was for them to hit a funeral with a large enough following that someone thought he could sneak into the group and stick it to the Phelps.
I might have to adjust my speculation as to how long it will take before someone makes a serious attempt on their lives at a funeral, since the first potential act of serious violence against them is ahead of my earlier predictions.
I too am surprised, given the passion these people invoke by adding to already intense pain. I keep hoping and praying that God will wake them up. Sooner or later, someone will not hold back.