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FILE - In this July 11, 2017, file photo, Indrek Redard, who works for the property management company, views the damage after an explosion Monday night outside an Air Force recruitment office in Bixby, Okla. Benjamin Don Roden, an ex-Air Force airman, faces several federal explosives charges after being accused of setting off a pipe bomb at the recruiting center. (Mike Simons//Tulsa World via AP, File)

Mental exam ordered for recruiting office bombing suspect

July 14 2017 03:51:19

TULSA, Okla. – A man accused of setting off a pipe bomb outside an Air Force recruiting office in Oklahoma has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation.

The Tulsa World reports (http://bit.ly/2tTNoyV ) that U.S. Magistrate Frank McCarthy ordered the evaluation Friday for 28-year-old Benjamin Roden after defence attorneys questioned whether he can assist in his own defence.

Noting his recent apparent mental decline, McCarthy says Roden may be suffering from a mental health issue that has rendered him incompetent to prepare for trial.

Roden is accused of setting off a pipe bomb late Monday outside an unoccupied Air Force recruiting office in suburban Tulsa.

Roden is described in court records as a disgruntled U.S. veteran who “hated the military.”

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