Feds seize 150 pipe bombs from man who 'used pictures of the President for target practice'



The FBI has announced that it confiscated a stockpile of explosives from a suspect the bureau has been investigating for years, who may be a member of an extremist terror cell.

Salon reported Thursday that, according to recently released court documents, Virginia man Brad Kenneth Spafford was arrested in late December after he was found with what Salon's Nicholas Liu called "the largest collection of homemade explosives seized by the FBI in its history." Spafford was charged under the National Firearms Act with possession of an illegal firearm.

Several of the homemade bombs were found in a backpack with a patch that read "#NoLivesMatter," which could be a reference to a far-right group that embraces political violence. An August threat assessment by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (OHSP) said the group recruits "true misanthropic individuals" on the messaging app Telegram, and encourages arson, vandalism and manufacturing improvised explosive devices.

READ MORE: (Opinion) The threat from within: Right-wing extremism lurks in the U.S. military

In addition to the pipe bombs, investigators also reportedly found bomb-making materials and written instructions on how to make bombs. Spafford allegedly had fuses, pieces of PVC pipe and the volatile chemical compound HTMD stored in a freezer, which is used to make blasting caps.

Spafford had been on the FBI's radar since 2023, when a confidential source told the bureau that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammo and had contemplated building a turret equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun. He also reportedly injured his hand while building an explosive device.

"The defendant has used pictures of the President for target practice, expressed support for political assassinations, and recently sought qualifications in sniper-rifle shooting at a local range," federal prosecutors wrote in asking for Spafford to remain incarcerated pending his trial.

The new court documents come on the heels of two high-profile terror attacks in New Orleans, Louisiana and Las Vegas, Nevada. Both of those attacks were allegedly carried out by U.S. military veterans, killing 14 on New Orleans' Bourbon Street and injuring dozens more. Seven people were injured in the Las Vegas attack, in which a Tesla Cybertruck was detonated outside of the Trump International Hotel on Wednesday morning.

READ MORE: Suspected Cybertruck bomber was a 'patriotic American' who 'loved Trump': family member

Click here to read Salon's article in full, and click here to read the court filing on Spafford.



from Alternet.org https://ift.tt/GyZPEm7
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