Mass Man’s Feud with Telecommunications Locks Down Mass, NH

On Saturday, April 2, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation served an arrest warrant on 61-year-old Daniel Kelly of Chelmsford, MA in connection with the March 30 discovery of explosive devices along a series of telephone poles.

On Wednesday, March 30, firefighters in Tyngsboro, MA responded to a routine call of a brush fire. Upon putting the fire out, firefighters stumbled across an undisclosed number of devices attached to telephone poles and phoned National Grid employees. The employees confirmed that the devices were out of place and called the FBI, whose agents were able to conclude that the devices, which resembled pipe bombs, were indeed explosive.

The bomb squad was able to defuse the devices, but the ordeal was not over. Upon finding the bombs, Utility workers in Massachusetts were ordered to take precautions upon working, and to report any devices that seemed unordinary. Due to the geographic location of where the explosives were found, New Hampshire decided to follow Massachusetts, asking Utility workers to take extra precautions while working.

The FBI began investigating in both NH and MA, as both states were on edge after the recent events in Brussels, Belgium. A letter was discovered at the scene threatening to post detailed instructions on how to make similar devices, and declaring war on other “critical infrastructures” with future attacks.

Through their investigation, agents were able to serve an arrest warrant on Kelly, who is no stranger to the law. Records show that Kelly has both a criminal record and a long lasting feud with phone companies. Documents show that in 2005, Daniel Kelly pled guilty to federal extortion charges. For his crime, he was ordered to serve five years probation, and pay $378,041 in restitution to Verizon.

Kelly’s problems with the phone company are no secret. Haverhill Fire Department Chief, Jack Parow, remarked to WBZ- TV’s Paul Burton, “When I was fire chief in Chelmsford, he cut a lot of communication lines.” He later stated in the interview, “We lost our 9-1-1 system and a lot of other communication lines.”

It is not known what Kelly’s problem is with telecommunications, however, he has been charged with 18 counts of trying to destroy property used in interstate and foreign commerce by means of fire. The FBI announced Monday that they do not believe there is any threat to the public, and there are no connections to any terrorist organizations.