Helena Man Accused of Planning ‘Columbine-style Attack’ Admits Having Homemade Bombs, Silencer

A Helena man admitted Tuesday to possessing homemade bombs and a silencer after being accused of attempting to attack a Helena high school with a desire to commit a “Columbine-style attack.”

An informant told the Helena Police Department in May 2022 that Logan Sea Pallister, 25, discussed a desire to commit a Columbine-style attack at the high school and planned to use pipe bombs in addition to firearms, according to the Montana U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting in 1999 in Columbine, Colorado where 15 people died, including the gunmen.

Pallister pled guilty to possession of unregistered destructive devices, and to possession of an unregistered silencer and faces a potential maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release per charge.

Pallister had allegedly shown the informant numerous firearms and a large amount of ammunition that he kept in his car and planned to mimic the Columbine High School attackers purchasing a black trench coat and the same type of duffle bag they used.

Court documents alleged Pallister showed the informant what he said was a bomb he made– a small propane cannister with a fuse sticking out of one end that he had retrieved from his car. Pallister threatened to kill the informant if the person told anyone about the device. The individual reported the encounter to law enforcement.

Police officers arrested Pallister on May 31, 2022 at about 4 a.m., as he was walking towards his car from where he lived, wearing a black trench coat and carrying a bag.

Officers found eight concealed firearms on him and in his car found nine more firearms, rounds of ammunition, loaded magazines, firearm accessories, an oil filter that appeared to have been modified to function as a homemade silencer and a green ammunition can that contained four suspected homemade pipe bombs. A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives expert later confirmed the powder in the suspected pipe bombs was explosive.

In his home, officers found more firearms and ammunition, firearm components, money order documents, receipts and online orders related to chemicals, suspected chemical precursors for making explosives and a suspected homemade explosive mixture known as flash powder.

The government said the suppressor and destructive devices weren’t registered and having them broke federal firearms laws.

Pallister is being detained pending further court proceedings. His sentencing is scheduled for May 22.

This case was part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.

This story originally appeared in the The Daily Montanan, which can be found online at dailymontanan.com.