New charge brought against Oklahoma bomb plot defendant

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A man accused of trying to detonate what he believed was an explosives-laden van outside an Oklahoma City bank last year has been indicted on a new charge.

The Oklahoman reports that that a federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted 24-year-old Jerry Drake Varnell with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Federal prosecutors say if Varnell is convicted of the charge, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Varnell was arrested in connection with a plot to detonate a vehicle bomb Aug. 12 after an undercover FBI agent posed as someone who could help construct the device. He was also indicted in October on a charge of attempted use of an explosive device.