An anti-government activist's hands have been blown off after a bomb he was allegedly making to use as a diversion during a bank heist exploded in his home.

Alphonso Mobley has been accused of trying to make a bomb, using a highly unstable chemical that was also used by terrorists during the Brussels and Paris attacks.

A huge explosion rocked his home in Columbus, Ohio, when the substance - nicknamed 'mother of Satan' because of its volatile properties - ignited in his hands.

Mobley, 26, and an alleged accomplice, Roberto Innis Jr, 21, were arrested and charged with possession and manufacture of a dangerous ordnance.

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Anti-government activist Alphonso Mobley (left) had his hands blown off after a bomb he was allegedly making to use during a bank heist exploded in his home. Pictured right, his alleged accomplice Roberto Innis Jr

The pair are members of the Sovereign Citizens network, a group that refuses to recognize the U.S. government and is considered a domestic terror cell by the FBI.

They are believed to have been planning a bank heist and allegedly planned to use the explosive as a diversion during a bank heist or armored car robbery, according to court papers seen by the Columbus Dispatch.

Innis, who was not injured in the blast, called 911 after the explosion on Tuesday morning and insisted he did not know how his friend had been injured because he was outside of the house.

'An explosion happened and my friend is on the ground bleeding,' Innis said.

He told the dispatcher that his friends' hands 'exploded' and that they were 'splattered'.

Mobley was taken to hospital in a serious condition, while Innis was arrested.

Explosives experts used a controlled explosion to destroy what was left of the chemicals, causing a fireball (pictured) that was quickly extinguished by firefighters at the scene

Columbus fire investigator Matthew Staker said the bomb materials found made 'a highly energetic explosive mixture'. Pictured, police at the scene

WHO ARE SOVEREIGN CITIZENS? Sovereign Citizens believe that the U.S. government should not be recognized and that people should live under common law. They do not recognize tax or permits and believe they are free citizens and therefore do not have to abide by the law. The FBI in 2010 branded the group 'domestic terrorists', with an estimated 100,000 followers in the United States. Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols was a Sovereign Citizen. Advertisement

Innis is said to have admitted the pair's plans after changing his story several times.

The chemical they are alleged to have been using is called triacetone triperoxide and it is extremely unstable.

The Paris attackers used it in their suicide vests during their murderous rampage on November 13, 2015.

Firefighters and police officers originally thought the explosion was caused by a meth lab inside the property, but forensics workers found a trace of the substance.

Columbus fire investigator Matthew Staker said the bomb materials found made 'a highly energetic explosive mixture'.

They used a controlled explosion to destroy what was left of the chemicals, causing a fireball that was quickly extinguished by firefighters at the scene.