The New York Post reports that an armed man shot and killed by police after taking three people hostage at the Discovery Channel's headquarters in Maryland Wednesday told an NBC producer he had several bombs strapped to his body "ready to go off."
The man, who was known for protesting the Discovery Channel's programming, spoke to the producer for about 10 minutes during the siege, NBC reported.
The network said the producer called the building and was surprised to suddenly be speaking to the gunman.
He identified himself as James Jay Lee and said, “I have a gun and I have a bomb. I have several bombs strapped to my body ready to go off.”
NBC did not reveal the conversation until the hostage situation had been resolved.
Police spent several hours negotiating with the gunman, James Jay Lee, who was upset about the network's programming, after he burst into the suburban Washington building about 1 p.m. waving a handgun and with canisters strapped to his body.
Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said one explosive device detonated on the gunman's body when they shot him, and they were working to determine whether two boxes and two backpacks he also had with him were explosives.
The 1,900 people who work in the building were able to get out safely.
Manger said officers were monitoring Lee on building security cameras and tactical officers moved in when they saw him pull out the handgun and point it at one of the hostages.
Three hostages were released safely.
READ LEE'S DEMANDS (PDF)
Lee had barricaded on the first floor of the building in a complex.
"He's a little nuts," said Yaya Fanusie, an acquaintance of Lee's who sometimes hung out with the activist at a Borders bookstore just down the street from the Discovery Channel headquarters.
"He said that Discovery is supposed to be protecting the environment, but they are not, they are just making movies," said Fanusie, adding that Lee believes that humans should stop procreating because mankind is destroying the Earth.
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