FBI found 150 pipe bombs in Virginia home

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Federal agents found one of the largest caches of homemade explosives they have ever seized when they arrested a Virginia man on a firearms charge last month, according to a court filing by federal prosecutors.

Investigators seized more than 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices when they searched Brad Spafford’s northwest Norfolk home in December, prosecutors said in a motion filed Monday. Prosecutors wrote that this is believed to be “the largest seizure by number of completed explosive devices in FBI history.”

Most of the bombs were found in a detached garage of the home in Isle of Wight County, along with bomb-making tools and materials, including fuses and pieces of plastic pipe, according to court documents. Prosecutors also wrote, “Several additional pipe bombs were found in a backpack in the bedroom of the home, completely unsecured,” in the home he shares with his wife and two young children.

Spafford, 36, was charged with possession of a firearm in violation of the National Firearms Act. Law enforcement officials allege he possessed an unregistered short-barreled rifle. Prosecutors said he faces “numerous additional potential charges” related to the explosives.

Defense attorneys argued in a motion Tuesday that authorities have presented no evidence that he was planning violence and also noted that he has no criminal record. Additionally, they question whether the explosive devices were usable because “professionally trained explosives technicians had to manipulate the devices to make them explode.”

“There is not the slightest bit of evidence in the record that Mr. Spafford ever threatened anyone and the claim that anyone could be in danger because of his political opinions and comments is nonsense,” the defense attorneys wrote.

Messages seeking further comment were left Wednesday from the defense attorneys who signed the motion, Lawrence Woodward and Jerry Swartz.

The investigation began in 2023 when an informant told authorities that Spafford was storing guns and ammunition, according to court documents. The informant, a friend, told authorities that Spafford had disfigured his hand in 2021 while working with homemade explosives. Prosecutors said he only has two fingers on his right hand. The informant told authorities that Spafford was using photographs of the president, an apparent reference to President Joe Biden, as target practice and that he “believed political assassinations should come back,” prosecutors wrote.

Numerous law enforcement officers and bomb technicians searched the property on December 17. Officers located the rifle and explosive devices, some of which had been manually labeled as “lethal” and others were loaded in a portable vest, according to court documents. state. Technicians detonated most of the devices at the site because they deemed them unsafe to transport, although several were preserved for analysis.

At a hearing Tuesday, federal Judge Lawrence Leonard determined that Spafford could be released to house arrest at his mother’s home, but agreed to keep him detained while the government presents further arguments.

In response, prosecutors reiterated why they believe Spafford is dangerous, writing that “while he is not known to have participated in any apparent violence, he has certainly expressed an interest in it, through his manufacturing of Pope bombs marked ‘ ‘lethal’, his possession of riot gear and a vest loaded with homemade bombs, his support for political assassinations and the use of photographs of the President as target practice.