FOXNews.com: EXPLOSIVE END:Alabama Kidnapper Was Killed in Firefight, FBI Says

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EXPLOSIVE END:Alabama Kidnapper Was Killed in Firefight, FBI Says Feb 6th 2013, 02:51 MIDLAND CITY, Ala. –  The Alabama man who held a 5-year-old boy captive for nearly a week engaged in a firefight with SWAT agents storming his underground bunker before he was killed during the rescue operation, the FBI said Tuesday night. Also, bomb technicians scouring his rural property found two explosive devices, one in the bunker, one in a plastic pipe that negotiators used to communicate with the man. Officers killed 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes Monday, said an official in Midland City, speaking on condition of anonymity. The bunker raid came six days after Dykes boarded a school bus, fatally shot the driver and abducted the boy, who by all accounts was unharmed. Dykes "reinforced the bunker against any attempted entry by law enforcement," FBI Special Agent Jason Pack said in an email. The devices found were "disrupted," Pack said, though he did not say whether that meant they were detonated or disarmed. Officers will continue Wednesday to sweep the 100-acre property and, when they finish, investigators can more thoroughly investigate, Pack said. For days, officers passed food, medicine, toys and other items into the bunker, which was similar to a tornado shelter and apparently had running water, heat and cable television. On Monday, authorities said, Dykes had a gun and appeared increasingly agitated, though it's unclear exactly how his behavior changed. Negotiations -- the details of which have not been made public -- were deteriorating. The Midland City official said law enforcement agents had been viewing Dykes with some sort of camera, which is how they saw that he had a gun. Pack declined to get into specifics, but confirmed that high-tech surveillance equipment was used during the police standoff. Agents stormed the bunker, whisking the boy to safety and leaving Dykes dead. The official who confirmed that officers had killed Dykes and the use of the camera cited discussions with law enforcement and requested anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation. Neighbors said they heard what sounded like explosions and gunshots, though the FBI and local authorities would not confirm if explosives detonated. No officers or agents were injured, Pack sad. By all accounts, despite his ordeal, the 5-year-old on Tuesday appeared to be acting like a normal kid, people around him say. He was running around, playing with a toy dinosaur and other action figures, eating a turkey sandwich and watching "SpongeBob SquarePants," relatives and Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson said. "We know he's OK physically, but we don't know how he is mentally," Betty Jean Ransbottom, the boy's grandmother, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. She added that she feared the ordeal would stay with the child, who turns 6 on Wednesday, the rest of his life.

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