Karli Edmondson
Posted: Thursday, September 2, 2010 10:14 am

A man who protested against the environmental programming of the Discovery Channel has been shot dead by police after bursting into the company's headquarters with explosive devices strapped to his body, and taking three members of staff hostage.

James J Lee held the hostages at gunpoint in a four-hour stand off. Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said police spent several hours negotiating with the armed man after he entered the suburban Washington building. 

NBC News reported that after its producers called Discovery's general number, a man identifying himself as James J Lee got on the phone and said he had a gun and several bombs. "I have several bombs strapped to my body ready to go off. I have a device that if I drop it, if I drop it, it will ... explode," the man told NBC. He said he built the bombs in about three weeks. "I did a lot of research. I had to experiment," he added.

None of the 1,900 people who work in the building were hurt, and most made it out before the stand-off ended.

Lee was convicted of disorderly conduct for a protest he organised outside Discovery's offices in February 2008. According to court records, he paid homeless people to carry signs. He served two weeks in Jail.