FBI agents cross the bridge on 12 Mile Road during their investigation of Kevin Harpham earlier today, near Addy, Wash. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)

An ex-soldier with ties to the white supremacist movement has been taken into custody in connection with the planting of a backpack bomb along the planned route of the Martin Luther King Jr. march in downtown Spokane, authorities have confirmed. Kevin William Harpham, 36, of Colville, could face life imprisonment on charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and possession of an unregistered explosive device, according to documents on file in U.S. District Court. An initial court appearance is scheduled for this afternoon. Harpham was arrested this morning during a raid at his home near Addy, Wash., by dozens of federal agents who had been assembling in Spokane during the past few days. The Southern Poverty Law Center confirmed that Harpham in 2004 was a member of the National Alliance, which is one of the most visible white supremacist organizations in the nation/Thomas Clouse, SR. More here.

• Southern Poverty Law Center background on suspect (via KXLY)
• Criminal complaint against Kevin William Harpham (via KXLY)

Question: Are you surprised that the alleged suspect is from the Inland Northwest?