Several homemade bombs were found Wednesday in a pickup truck parked near the Kansas Statehouse that had specialty license plates issued only to U.S. military paratroopers, and police said they arrested the owner inside an underground tunnel connecting the Capitol to an office building. 
 
 Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a bomb threat, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012 in Topeka, Kan. Police say a man is being questioned in Topeka after allegedly phoning in a threat against the Kansas... (Associated Press) 
 
 Capitol Police spokesman Patrick Saleh said the incident was not connected to another arrest Wednesday of a man who allegedly phoned in a threat to Gov. Sam Brownback's office from a Topeka motel. 
 
 "Neither one of them was armed, and neither of them offered any resistance," Saleh said. 
 
 Saleh said officers went to investigate the pickup after receiving a call from a state employee about it being parked in a restricted lot outside the Kansas Judicial Center, south of the Statehouse, without the normal state worker tag. An officer saw suspicious objects inside, including an empty gun holster, and authorities called in the Topeka Police Department's bomb squad. 
 
 Saleh said the homemade explosives were made with household materials and designed to spray shrapnel once they were detonated. He didn't have further details, but called them "actual explosives." 
 
 But, he added, "Everybody in the building was safe." 
 
 Officers arrested the pickup's owner inside the tunnel used by legislators, state officials, lobbyists and citizens to go between the Statehouse and a building that houses state agencies and legislators' offices and where legislative committee meetings are held. Saleh said the man claimed to have an appointment in the office building, but none was verified. Saleh didn't have information about the man's identity. 
 
 The man was being questioned by agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Saleh said. 
 
 The discovery of the pickup truck led authorities to temporarily block traffic and access to the parking lot. The black Ford with no hood and a beat-up front grill, remained in the Judicial Center parking lot Wednesday afternoon, set off by a police car and orange cones. 
 
 The truck had a specialty Florida license plate issued only to qualified U.S. military paratroopers. It also had a special forces sticker on its bumper and stickers on its back window saying, "Welcome to America. Now speak English" and "Does my American flag offend you? Call 1 800 LEAVE THE USA." The gate of the pickup bed also had a decal from a dealership in Ocala, Fla. 
 
 The Associated Press attempted to check the license plate number with the Florida Highway Patrol, but officials declined to provide information about the vehicle's owner. 
 
 "We would not be able to release that because of an ongoing investigation they've got going on out there," Lt. Jeff Frost said. 
 
 The pickup incident and the phoned-in threat to Brownback's office came the same day a Kansas House committee opened three days of hearings on several bills designed to crack down on illegal immigration, backed by Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a former law professor who helped draft tough laws in Alabama and Arizona. 
 
 But Saleh said neither arrest was connected to a coinciding rally at the Statehouse that was protesting policies pursued by Brownback, Kobach and other Republican officials. 
 
 The other man was arrested at a Motel 6 in Topeka within minutes of making calls to Brownback's office Wednesday morning and is being held in the local jail on suspicion of harassment by telephone, Saleh said. He is 37 and has no permanent address, but his last known home was Columbia, Mo. 
 
 Saleh said the man told officers he was planning to move to Salina, about 100 miles west of Topeka, but authorities couldn't find an address for him there. 
 
 Saleh said the governor's office pinpointed his location through caller ID. He described the man as "ranting" but said his comments were threatening enough for Brownback's staff to call authorities. 
 
 The governor's office referred calls about the incident to the Kansas Highway Patrol, which oversees the Capitol Police. 
 
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 John Milburn in Topeka and Brent Kallestad, in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed to this report. ||||| An early-morning parking complaint led authorities to a pickup truck with homemade explosives across the street from the Kansas Capitol on Wednesday. 
 
 The trucks discovery was the first in a day of unusual events at the statehouse that included threats made to the governors office and hundreds gathering on the steps of the Capitol to protest policies advocated by Gov. Sam Brownback and Secretary of State Kris Kobach. 
 
 Authorities detained a suspect driving the truck. They also arrested a Columbia, Mo., man and charged him with making harassing calls to the governors office. 
 
 Patrick Saleh, spokesman for the Capitol Police, said the three events were unrelated. 
 
 Everything seems to be independent of each other. It just occurred on the same day by happenstance, Saleh said. 
 
 The most potentially threatening situation was discovered by a state worker who was upset about where an unpermitted truck with a Florida plate was parked. 
 
 The truck was parked in state Lot No. 1 next to the Kansas Judicial Center, which houses the state Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. 
 
 Police responded to the complaint and saw an empty holster inside. The black Ford pickup was dotted with decals including one with Uncle Sam that read: Welcome to America. Now Speak English. 
 
 Alarmed by what they found, police called in a bomb squad, which sent in a robotic device that found the homemade explosives. Details about the explosives were not available Wednesday evening 
 
 Police tracked down the driver in an underground tunnel that connects the Capitol to a state office building across the street. They found him by using his license plate number to get a photo, which was distributed to police at the Capitol. 
 
 The man, dressed in business attire, told police he was at the Capitol on state business. They detained the man and were questioning him late Wednesday. The mans name was not released. Police were not sure where he was headed. 
 
 His arrest came hours before hundreds of people led a boisterous rally in front of the Capitol that targeted Kobachs efforts to crack down on undocumented immigrants. 
 
 As the rally took place, Kobach was testifying in front of a House committee considering bills intended to curb illegal immigration. 
 
 Shortly after the pickup was found, the governors staff reported receiving at least two threatening calls from a man staying at a Motel 6 along a commercial strip on the west side of Topeka. 
 
 They were mad rants of anger directed at the governor, Saleh said. 
 
 Police arrested Steven J. Thibodeau of Columbia and booked him at the Shawnee County Jail on a charge of harassment by telephone. 
 
 Thibodeau claimed to have been moving to Salina, but police could not confirm an address for him there. 
 
 Saleh said the governor and the judges have their own security details. Those details have been notified and will take action as needed, he said. 
 
 The spokeswoman for the governor said Brownback had a typical day of meetings and speaking events. On Wednesday afternoon, he had a news conference to discuss wind energy. 
 
 She said the day was so busy that she didnt discuss the days events with the governor.
– Police in Topeka may have foiled an attack on government offices. Homemade bombs were found in a pickup truck near the Kansas capitol after cops spotted an empty holster in the vehicle, AP reports. The truck had a Florida license plate only issued to US military paratroopers. Its driver was arrested inside a tunnel between the capitol and an office building. The homemade explosives were crafted with household materials and were designed to spray shrapnel, said a police spokesman. The truck had a special forces bumper sticker and decals reading "Welcome to America. Now speak English,” and “Does my American flag offend you? Call 1 800 LEAVE THE USA.” The driver was wearing business attire, and told police he was at the capitol on state business, reports the Kansas City Star. He is being questioned by ATF agents.