Motel workers discuss church bomb plot arrest

MIAMI, Okla. (AP) — Two Miami (my-AM’-uh), Okla., maintenance workers who reported the makings of Molotov cocktails in a trash bin say they are not heroes.

Motel guest Gregory Arthur Weiler II of Elk Grove Village, Ill., was arrested for possession of an explosive device and violating Oklahoma’s anti-terrorism act after motel workers Ralph Smith and Steve Ballenger reported suspicious items they found.

Smith told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he found an empty gas can and strips of nylon in a trash bin. Ballenger says he previously saw Weiler with a gas can.

The two say they entered Weiler’s room Thursday on the pretense of cleaning it and found more nylon and other suspicious items — then called police.

Both say they were just doing their jobs.

Online court records show Weiler has asked for a public defender and is due in court Oct. 22.