Bryan Stalder 
Contributor 

The man charged after explosive devices were discovered in a trash can outside the National World War I Museum and Memorial near Liberty Memorial has previously unreported ties to a Northeast Kansas City high school.

While several media outlets have described suspect Owen I. Canizales Argueta as being from Richmond, California, records reviewed by Northeast News show that he attended Alta Vista High School (1524 Paseo) and graduated in 2022.

Athletics records also show that Canizales Argueta played varsity soccer for the Alta Vista Aztecs, indicating he spent at least part of his high school years in Kansas City.

It remains unclear whether Canizales Argueta previously lived in California, moved there after graduating, or still has family connections there. Court records and police statements have not yet clarified his residential history.

According to charging documents, investigators with the Kansas City Police Department Bomb and Arson Unit recovered 20 explosive devices from a bag placed inside a trash can on the museum grounds.

While some online speculation has suggested the devices may have been simple fireworks such as M-80s, court records describe them as homemade explosive devices, sometimes referred to by investigators as “M-devices.”

The term generally refers to improvised explosive devices constructed from explosive materials rather than commercially manufactured fireworks. Authorities have not publicly released details about the exact construction of the devices, but investigators treated them as illegal explosive devices requiring bomb squad response.

Surveillance cameras allegedly captured Canizales Argueta placing a bag in the trash can on February 23. The devices were discovered the following day by museum staff, who contacted police.

He was arrested Tuesday, March 3, outside a Cricket Wireless store near Independence Boulevard and Chestnut Trafficway after investigators identified him.

Northeast News captured the arrest on video and livestreamed the scene on social media as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal robot searched Canizales Argueta’s vehicle for additional explosives.

He now faces 20 felony counts of possession of an illegal explosive device.

Booking records also show that Canizales Argueta has an immigration detainer placed on him by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

An immigration detainer — sometimes called an ICE hold — is a request from federal immigration authorities asking a jail to notify ICE before releasing someone from custody and to temporarily hold the individual so immigration agents can take custody.

A detainer does not change the criminal charges in the case, but it means that if Canizales Argueta is released from local custody, immigration authorities may seek to detain him for potential immigration proceedings.

Authorities have not said whether immigration status played any role in the alleged incident, and investigators have not announced a motive.

The investigation comes as the National World War I Museum and Memorial is hosting a special exhibition featuring several historic American founding documents.

The documents are part of a traveling exhibit organized by National Archives and Records Administration and include rare early American records connected to the nation’s founding.

It is not known whether the museum or the exhibit was the intended target, and authorities have not indicated any connection between the explosives case and the display.

Investigators have so far released no information about a possible motive, and the case remains under investigation.