18-year-old Devon Arthurs was originally taken into custody after holding two customers and a shop employee hostage in a Tampa smoke shop. Arthurs then told police he had killed two people, leading officers to his Tampa, Florida apartment, where various nazi propaganda and bomb-making materials were discovered, along with the bodies of his two roommates.

As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, there were also various White Supremacist materials along with a framed photo of Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber.

Three people held hostage by Florida teenager in a Tampa smoke shop

Tampa police were called to a local smoke shop on Friday, where Arthurs was holding two customers and an employee hostage at gunpoint. Officers convinced Arthurs to let the hostages go and to drop his weapon. They then took the teenager into custody. Arthurs then started telling police he had killed two people and took the officers to the apartment he shared with four roommates.

Bodies of two roommates found in the Florida teenager’s apartment

On arrival at the Tampa apartment, officials found one of Arthurs' roommates, Brandon Russell, 21, standing outside the door in his Florida National Guard military uniform. He had just finished duty and was standing crying at the door.

Once the officers entered the apartment they discovered the bodies of 18-year-old Andrew Oneschuk and 22-year-old Jeremy Himmelman, who had been allegedly shot dead by Arthurs.

Explosives and radioactive substances uncovered by officials

On searching the apartment, officers discovered a cooler containing two radioactive substances and bomb-making material.

According to the FBI, they also found various Nazi propaganda.

According to statements by the police and FBI, Arthurs told officials two of his roommates used to share his neo-Nazi beliefs, before he then converted to Islam. However, he said he killed them as they disrespected his new faith. Arthurs went on to explain to officials that he had converted to Islam and was angry over U.S.

bombings in Muslim countries. Arthurs is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder, along with other charges.

Roommate arrested for possession of explosive materials

According to the FBI, Russell had admitted his neo-Nazi beliefs to officials, saying he was a member of Atomwaffen (German for an atomic weapon), a neo-Nazi group. Russell initially told FBI agents that the explosives were used by him to boost homemade rockets when he was a member of an engineering club at the University of South Florida back in 2013.

However, ABC News notes that according to the FBI statement, the substance was too volatile and energetic to be used for that purpose. Russell is now facing charges for the unlawful storage of explosive materials and possession of a destructive device.
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