BANGOR, Wash. -- A Navy electrician court-martialed for allegedly trying to smuggle explosives has escaped from a brig at the Naval Base in Bangor.

James Praefke should be considered "armed, dangerous and likely to resist arrest," according to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

He has a history of weapons use and domestic violence, the Navy said.

Friends, family and the Navy consider James Praefke armed and dangerous and believe he will fight if cornered, the Navy said.

Oak Harbor police said they were working with the Navy to intercept him if he tries to reach his frightened wife, who is staying with their children in secure housing under Navy supervision.

"It's definitely a concern of everybody's that he would do that, but it's just as likely that he would flee the area," police Capt. Rick Wallace said.

Praefke, who has used the aliases James Walter Praefke and James Tait Krueger, was arrested in February when a bomb-sniffing dog detected a grenade and other explosives in one of his bags as he tried to clear Customs upon returning from Afghanistan.

Praefke is described as 6 feet 3 inches tall and 220 pounds, with green eyes and red hair. He was last seen wearing desert camouflage.