Portland man gets 6 years in Fred Meyer bomb blast

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Portland man who ignited a pipe bomb in a Fred Meyer store has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison.

Police went to the southeast Portland store in May 2016 after being alerted that someone had placed a small pipe bomb in an aisle. The bomb detonated shortly before officers arrived. The explosion damaged the aisle, but nobody was hurt.

DNA collected from a piece of electrical tape was matched to Monte Kaija Jr., a convicted felon.

The 47-year-old man was sentenced Monday. He had previously pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device. He told investigators he detonated the bomb as a diversion so he could shoplift.