Attempted-Bombing Suspect's Family Is 'Flabbergasted' at FBI

The family of the Oklahoma man accused of plotting to blow up a bank says they're "heartbroken" but stand by Jerry Drake Varnell—who got caught up in a situation spurred by his mental illness and only made possible with aid from the FBI. NewsOK posts a statement from his parents that describes the 23-year-old as a "sweet-hearted person" who has paranoid schizophrenia, was deemed mentally incompetent by the state, and is under their legal care. 

Though they say they've helped their son be as "functional" as possible—including supporting him enrolling in welding school—Varnell has a history of mental hospital stays and has had "serious full-blown schizophrenic delusional episodes." But what the Varnells say really has them "flabbergasted": the FBI's knowledge of his schizophrenia.

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