Feds: Texas man tried planting bomb on Confederate statue

HOUSTON, Texas -- A Houston man has been arrested after being accused by authorities of trying to damage or destroy a Confederate statue at a Houston park with explosives.

Federal prosecutors said Monday 25-year-old Andrew Schneck had been charged with attempting to maliciously damage or destroy property receiving federal financial assistance.

Authorities say a Houston park ranger on Saturday caught Schneck kneeling near a statue of Richard Dowling, a lieutenant in the Confederate army, located in Hermann Park.

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Prosecutors say Schneck was caught with two boxes with duct tape and wires and with a bottle containing a liquid made up of compounds used as explosives.

Philip Hilder, Schneck's attorney, declined to comment on Monday.

Schneck received five years of probation after pleading guilty in 2014 to improperly storing explosive materials.