Missouri man accused of posting videos on how to make explosives. Other cases linked
A Missouri man is facing federal charges after prosecutors allege he posted videos of himself making explosives online.
Prosecutors further allege that several individuals, including a man accused of driving a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans, used the video to make explosives.
Jordan Derrick, 40, of Sweet Springs, faces charges of manufacturing explosive materials without a license, unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and distributing information related to manufacturing explosives, according to a news release from Candice Jamoles, a public affairs specialist for the United States Department of Justice. Sweet Springs is about 70 miles east of Kansas city.
A criminal complaint alleges around Sept. 18, 2023, Derrick started posting videos of himself making “various explosive materials,” including detonators and TNT, Jamioles said.
Several individuals used Derrick’s videos to make explosives, Jamioles said, including a man accused of driving a pickup truck into a crowd of partygoers in New Orleans and a man who attempted to make a “big firework” in Odessa on May 4, resulting in a home explosion.
On New Year’s Day 2025, Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Prior to the attack, Jabbar planted two explosives in ice coolers in the French Quarter, CNN said.
Jamioles said the devices, which never detonated, were “consistent with Derrick’s instructional videos.”
On May 4, Stanley Box allegedly attempted to make a “big firework” in an apartment in Odessa, leading to an explosion. The man reportedly told investigators he had been watching tutorials on how to make explosive devices online.
The videos Box used as reference were allegedly tied to a social media account used by Derrick, Jamoles said.
If convicted, Derrick could face up to 40 years in federal prison, Jamoles said. No further court dates are set in the case.
