January 2nd 2025.
According to a court filing by federal prosecutors, US federal agents made a shocking discovery when they arrested a man from Virginia on a firearms charge last month. They stumbled upon one of the largest collections of homemade explosives they have ever encountered. The man in question is Brad Spafford, who resides in Isle of Wight County, near Norfolk. The investigators found over 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices when they searched his home in December.
The prosecutors stated that this is believed to be the biggest seizure of finished explosive devices in the history of the FBI. Most of the bombs were found in a detached garage on Spafford's property, along with various tools and materials used for making bombs, including fuses and plastic pipes. They also found several more bombs in a backpack inside the bedroom of his home, which he shares with his wife and two young children. It is concerning that these dangerous devices were not secured properly.
Spafford, who is 36 years old, has been charged with possession of a firearm that violates the National Firearms Act. However, the prosecutors have revealed that he could face numerous other charges related to the explosives. On the other hand, Spafford's defense attorneys have argued in a motion that there is no evidence to suggest that he was planning any violent acts. They also noted that he has no criminal record.
Moreover, the defense attorneys raised concerns about the usability of the explosive devices, stating that trained professionals had to rig them to make them explode. They also dismissed the idea that Spafford posed a threat to anyone due to their political views and comments. The defense lawyers, Lawrence Woodward and Jerry Swartz, were unavailable for comment on Wednesday.
The investigation into Spafford began in 2023 when a friend of his informed the authorities that he was stockpiling weapons and ammunition. The informant also mentioned that Spafford had injured his hand in 2021 while working on homemade explosives. The court documents revealed that he only has two fingers on his right hand. The informant also claimed that Spafford used pictures of the president for target practice and expressed a belief in bringing back political assassinations.
On December 17, numerous law enforcement officers and bomb technicians searched Spafford's property. During the search, they found the rifle and the explosive devices, some of which were labeled as "lethal" and a few loaded into a wearable vest. As the technicians deemed most of the devices unsafe to transport, they detonated them on site. However, they kept a few for further analysis.
At a hearing yesterday, federal Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leonard allowed Spafford to be released into house arrest at his mother's home. But, the government filed additional arguments to keep him detained, which the judge agreed to. In response, the prosecutors reiterated their concerns about Spafford's potential danger, citing his possession of riot gear and a vest loaded with pipe bombs, support for political assassinations, and use of the president's pictures for target practice. Despite not having a history of violence, Spafford's actions and possessions raise red flags.
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