Amarillo Man Who Plotted to Blow Up Tascosa High Pleas Guilty

Out of all of the crimes and plots that the Amarillo Police Department has foiled, this one takes the number one spot for the most insane. Erfan Salmanzadeh, plead guilty this past Monday to charges of Mass Destruction in relation to an explosion that took place last summer in his backyard and the ensuing investigation

On July 26th, 2021 Salmanzadeh used a homemade bomb to blow up an Xbox in his backyard in an attempt to see how much damage could be done by his homemade explosives. This of course alarmed neighbors who reported the explosion to APD. When APD and APD bomb squads arrived at the 3600 block of Lenwood Drive, they detained Salamzadeh and searched his residence. Finding a large hole in the backyard, explosive materials littered in and around the house, nail bombs, PVC pipe bombs, and a suicide vest, it did not take long for investigators to figure out what was going on. This was a disaster in the making.

After his arrest, police found notes containing recipes for bombs and video evidence from July 22nd that exposed Salamanzadeh's plans to attack Tascosa High School using the homemade bombs found in his residence. In attempts to escape before his arrest, Salamanzadeh had bought plane tickets to Califonia and was set to fly away on the 28th.

Thanks to neighbors near Salamanzadeh's residence, the APD, Amarillo's Bomb squads, the ATF, the FBI, and many other involved parties in this investigation a possible tragedy was averted. In his plea that took place earlier this week, Salamanzadeh now may receive a 15-year sentence in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release if the terms of his plea are taken.