
The FBI discovered the largest collection of "finished explosive devices" in its history last month when arresting a Virginia man, according to court documents published on Wednesday and quoted by CBS News.
Federal prosecutors are seeking to keep the suspect, Brad Spafford, in custody following his December 17 arrest for allegedly possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle.
During a search of Spafford's 20-acre farm in Isle of Wight County, investigators uncovered "a stockpile of more than 150 homemade improvised explosive devices," identified as pipe bombs, according to prosecutors.
Some of the devices were reportedly labeled “lethal” and were “preloaded into an apparent wearable vest.”
The majority of the explosives were found in a detached garage, while others were allegedly discovered unsecured in a backpack in a bedroom, according to CBS News. Prosecutors also stated that Spafford "acknowledged keeping a jar in his freezer of HMTD, an explosive material so unstable it can detonate from friction or temperature changes." The jar was found alongside food items in the freezer and was labeled “dangerous” and “do not touch,” prosecutors said.
Court documents, first reported by the website Court Watch, revealed that the investigation began in early 2023 after a neighbor reported Spafford to authorities. The neighbor claimed that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and had lost three fingers on his right hand.
The neighbor also alleged that Spafford used photos of President Joe Biden for target practice at a local shooting range and expressed extremist views. According to prosecutors, Spafford believed that "political assassinations should be brought back" and suggested that "missing children in the news had been taken by the federal government to be trained as school shooters."
After President-elect Donald Trump narrowly avoided an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally in July, Spafford allegedly told the neighbor “he hoped the shooter doesn’t miss Kamala.”
Spafford’s attorneys have argued for his release pending trial, stating that he has “no criminal record and no history of substance abuse or mental illness.”