CHARLOTTE -- Two men charged with producing and possessing a weapon of mass destruction were in court Monday afternoon in uptown Charlotte.

What makes this case extra disturbing is that one of the men, Paul Dandan, worked at Charlotte Douglas Airport as an air traffic controller.

Dandan was in and out in just a few minutes, both he and his lawyer refusing to comment.

Police allege Dandan was given a homemade explosive device. His charges include possession, acquiring and transporting a weapon of mass destruction.

Charlotte Douglas says he only had access to the offsite air traffic control tower — and never had access to any aircraft.

In a written statement his lawyer gave us today - it says in part: “There is no allegation that he intended or attempted to harm any person or property. As an air-traffic controller and volunteer firefighter, he committed himself to the service of others and the community. He cooperated with the authorities during the investigation. As counsel for Mr. Dandan, we look forward to addressing the matter in court.

The man police say made that pipe bomb, Derrick Fells, told police that he made it to use against a neighbor who he had an ongoing dispute with.

But, he decided instead, to give it away to Dandan.

Dandan is due in court again December 1.

We reached out to the FAA to ask them if he’s still an employee. They haven’t gotten back to us, but did tell us on Friday that they “terminated his access to the facility.”

As for Fells, he avoided our cameras.