FBI Houston and local authorities have returned to the home of Shamsuddin Jabbar as they continue to investigate the deadly New Year's Eve attack in New Orleans. (Derek Shook, Fox News Digital)
A Utah State University student was arrested hours after being interviewed by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force after authorities said he contaminated his dormitory with hydrochloric acid gas, forcing a mass evacuation.
Joshua Peter Jager, 20, was arrested Thursday night and charged with reckless and disorderly conduct causing a catastrophe, according to the indictment.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in 1st District Court, just before 7:45 p.m. Thursday, USU authorities responded to a fire alarm in the Mountain View Tower and found the entire first floor covered in a vaporous substance that was later discovered It's hydrochloric acid gas.
Utah State University (Utah State University)
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The alarm prompted a "mass evacuation" of everyone in the dormitory, involving first responders, the Logan Fire Department, Logan Hazardous Materials and USU police, according to court documents.
USU police responded to Jag's dormitory on Monday after a fire alarm was triggered in his Mountain View Towers dorm just days earlier, according to court documents.
He allegedly told authorities he was boiling water and vinegar to make potatoes, but they later discovered numerous chemicals, including silver nitrate and potassium carbonate, as well as machinery, tools and numerous batteries.
Police suspected "drug or explosives manufacturing" may have been present, so bomb technicians were called to the scene and the chemicals were seized, the affidavit said. The room was later deemed safe and Jag was told to remove all chemicals and stop cooking in the dormitory.
According to court documents, Jagger was taken into the USU Police Department at 11:30 a.m. Thursday and questioned about the presence of chemicals in his room. He claimed he had owned the chemicals for years but had not used them to make explosives or drugs.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force attended the interview and asked him "what ties he had to any terrorist groups," which he denied, the affidavit said. He claimed he made a "mistake" by bringing chemicals into the dormitory.
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He was then wanted by the FBI and a certified peace officer to stop using the chemicals and to contact police if he found any other chemicals in the dormitory so they could be properly disposed of, according to court documents.
During the mass evacuation six hours later following an FBI inquiry, Jaeger admitted triggering the alarm and said he found more of the chemicals he was trying to "neutralize."
Cache County District Court Judge Angela Fonnesbeck granted Jagger $2,500 bail Friday morning, according to a court order.
Everyone forced to leave the dormitory had to pass through the gas zone, causing "contamination issues," the testimony said.
FBI agents in jackets waved FBI badges. (iStock)
Preliminary estimates of cleanup and restoration costs are about $10,000 to $20,000, according to court documents. Labor and overtime costs will increase expenses "significantly."
The university said in a statement released on Friday that the investigation is ongoing and "additional charges may be added."
"USU Housing found space in other USU buildings and on the Aggie Shuttle bus to keep student residents away from the elements while they wait to determine if they need to be decontaminated or to return to their rooms around midnight," the statement said. "No other students need to be decontaminated."
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Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Krystin Deschamps sent a message to Mountain View residents saying the CARE office can help with academic issues caused by the evacuation.