Iowa Man Smoking Meth In Iowa City Shelter Causes Explosion

A man is facing some drug charges after getting the Iowa City Police called to an explosion incident in a winter shelter bathroom.

Iowa City Police and Fire responded to a call from the Winter Extreme Temperature shelter early on December 4th.

When they arrived, there were no signs of an active fire, but when they entered the bathroom where the explosion occured they found "charred splatter" on the walls, sinks, and mirrors. Checking inside the stalls, they found one that had a "melted" backpack with some personal items.

After looking through the backpack, which seemed to be the source of the explosion, they found a butane canister inside that had been blown apart.

Asking around, they found that the backpack belonged to 44-year-old Abdiqani Haji Mohamud, who told them it was his backpack.

Officers had previous interactions with Mohamud, who has been described by local news in multiple instances as an "area transient," so they felt they needed to search him.

Sure enough, officers found methamphetamine in his sock during a patdown.

When questioned about the explosion, Mohamud told officers that he was, in fact, smoking meth in the bathroom and when he finished, he started putting his lighter back in his backpack. The problem was, the hot lighter ignited some stuff in the backpack, and then the butane cannister exploded.

Mohamud is facing repeat drug charges.

Read more at KCRG