(NEW YORK) — A 47-year-old man was arrested in connection with several explosive devices found on the Hawaiian island of Maui, police said.

Robert Francis Dumaran made his first court appearance in Hawaii on Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii announced. Dumaran is accused of possessing an unregistered explosive device and attempting to damage property with an explosive, according to an unsealed criminal complaint.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Dumaran’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 27. He is being held without bail, the statement said.

Authorities say they are grappling with a series of homemade bombs — called IEDs by the FBI — that have been found hidden in garbage cans and baskets elsewhere on Maui. There have been several explosions on the island in the past week that have been attributed to the devices, authorities said.

The first bomb was discovered on July 23 by Maui Police Department officers responding to a 911 call about a suspicious object near Kahului Elementary School. The bomb consisted of explosives, a battery and shrapnel. Investigators said they found Dumaran’s fingerprints on “clear tape” that had been used to build the bomb.

The unsealed complaint noted that “several IEDs” of similar design were detonated along Kaamana Street in Kula, Hawaii, on Aug. 7. Another device exploded on Aug. 8, damaging a passing car, while another was attached to a guardrail before detonating, “causing significant damage to the guardrail and the surrounding area,” according to the complaint.

The criminal complaint states that the investigation is ongoing and that further charges may be brought against Dumaran.

Dumaran has been investigated before, investigators said. The complaint states that police searched his home in January 2022 and found custom-made fireworks, ammunition and other components that could be used to build explosive devices. Authorities obtained his fingerprints in the process, the complaint says.

Fingerprints and cell tower data helped police in their investigation, the complaint said. Dumaran’s cell phone was found near Kahului Elementary School on the day the explosive device was discovered, and also days before the explosive devices were found near Kaamana Street, the complaint said.

The unsealed complaint details Dumaran’s text messages with an unidentified third party in which the defendant allegedly says he wanted to set off explosions “to cheer myself up.”

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