Who is NC man the FBI says helped hatch a plot to murder federal agents?

In 2020 federal officials found a North Carolina business owners’ “wartime tactics” manuals in the home of a man who’d opened fire on deputies. Now they say they have evidence the author poses a danger to federal agents.

That became public Monday, when a federal grand jury indicted 38-year-old Christopher Arthur after the FBI accused him of helping design a series of fatal traps that he believed would target federal agents.

Public information about Arthur’s past is scant. On his company website, Arthur advertises a full three years in law enforcement and 13 in the U.S. Marine Corps, including at least two deployments. The Duplin County Sheriff’s Department confirmed he served as a deputy for a little over a year and a half, but resigned in April 2006.

Arthur founded Tackleberry Solutions in 2017, through which he sells textbooks and offers lessons on how to make homemade bombs, work with guard dogs and build militias, according to his website. He did it after he “got inspiration from our heavenly father that what I really needed to focus on was the pending war,” he says in a promotional video on YouTube.

For $25,000, dedicated fans can visit his home, which sits on a quilt of farmland near the border of Mt. Olive, for one-on-one training, he advertises on his website.

The business is a family affair, according to the FBI. Arthur’s wife runs the website, according to court records. In a video on his channel, Arthur bounces a fellow “instructor” – his young child, clad in a matching Tackleberry polo shirt – on his lap while describing the business.

His most popular YouTube video “How to stop unconstitutional gun confiscation,” has amassed over 33,000 views. Others offer guidance on “How to train a militia” and a three-part series about overthrowing a tyrannical government.

In another video, he pledged this to those willing to follow his training: “If anyone tries to take you out at your home, they’re gonna die trying.”

A 2.5-year investigation

The first incident involving Arthur that the FBI listed in court records occurred in May 2020, after a police officer tried to pull over a semi truck driver near LeRoy, a small town nestled about half an hour southwest of Rochester, N.Y.

After a two-hour chase with over 150 gun shots fired, Joshua Blessed, the driver, was dead. When authorities searched two of his vehicles and a room he rented in Virginia, they found 14 homemade bombs, four rifles, thousands of dollars worth of ammunition and about $148,000 in cash, they said.

They also discovered several manuals – penned by Arthur – on building bombs and evading law enforcement.

Arthur had hosted Blessed for a weeklong class in March 2020 and sold Blessed one of his books, “Improvised Explosives,” federal authorities say. That text describes how to use common household items “to aid you in your wartime tactics.”

The book, which Arthur sells through Tackleberry for $499.99, includes chapters dedicated to pipe grenades, landmines and napalm.

While searching Blessed’s phone, authorities also found 14 calls and 43 text messages between him and Arthur, according to a January search warrant application.

“Can I do this or this is not safe?” Blessed asked about a pipe hand grenade modification in one conversation that an FBI agent copied into the warrant request.

Bombs that authorities found on Blessed’s property matched those that Arthur had taught his students to make, according to court records.

Federal charges

In March 2021, Arthur emailed a customer who acted a confidential informant for federal agents, federal records show.

“To prevent being flagged or shut down, I’ve had to keep parts of this information off of the internet,” Arthur wrote, according to an excerpt quoted in the search warrant application. “Especially since explosives are such a touchy topic.”

In early April the informant showed up at Arthur’s home and recorded their conversation. The unnamed person told Arthur that federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents had searched the informant’s home, catalogued possessions within and would likely return.

“When they do, I want to be ready,” the informant said, according to FBI records.

“So, you’ve got two choices,” Arthur replied, according to the FBI’s transcript. “Stand and fight or be, ah, not exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

For over three hours, the conversation continued, with Arthur describing how the visitor could set a lethal booby trap if law enforcement returned.

“Arthur then explained how to properly place IED’s through the (informant’s) property, the importance of creating a fatal funnel, the setup and use of remote activated firearms, and how to evade arrest after killing members of law enforcement,” the search warrant says.

Arthur also gave the informant supplies, authorities said, including bomb components, tripwire switches and other supplies, authorities said.

What now?

U.S. Attorney Michael Easley on Monday vowed to prosecute Arthur “to the fullest extent” of the law, which outlines a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for distributing information relating to explosives

“Here in Eastern North Carolina, we will protect the brave men and women of law enforcement who are sworn to protect us,” Easley wrote in a statement. “Our public servants in law enforcement deserve nothing else.”

The FBI hasn’t said to what extent Arthur’s indictment marks the end of the investigation. After the court-approved search, they may know a lot more about his business dealings.

Along with his home and vehicles, they had permission to search his client lists and records, mailing lists, voice mail recordings and more.

This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Who is NC man the FBI says helped hatch a plot to murder federal agents?."