A Virginia man was arrested after authorities discovered over 150 homemade explosive devices at his home, marking a historic seizure.
The FBI swooped in on December 17 at Spafford’s farm, which is about 29 miles from Norfolk. They charged him with having an unregistered short-barrel rifle, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. They discovered a whole bunch of improvised explosive devices, which were basically pipe bombs, during their search.
Most of these devices were stashed away in a detached garage. They also found tools and materials for making more explosives, like homemade fuses and PVC pipes. And get this—some additional pipe bombs were just lying around in a backpack in his bedroom, totally unsecured.
Prosecutors mentioned that the phrase “#nolivesmatter” was scrawled on the backpack. This phrase is linked to some pretty extreme ideologies that promote violence and self-harm. Spafford lived in that home with two young kids, which raises serious concerns.
He even told authorities he had a jar of explosive material in his freezer that could blow up just from being jostled around. Imagine that! Photos showed this jar labeled “Dangerous” right next to some frozen food.
Spafford reportedly used images of the president for target practice and had some pretty alarming views about political violence. Prosecutors are worried that letting him go would be a huge risk to his family, the community, and even the officers who would have to check on him.
An attorney for Spafford hasn’t commented yet, but the investigation started last year when someone tipped off the authorities about him injuring his hand while working on explosives. That same source said he was hoarding weapons and making his own ammo, claiming he could whip up about 50 rounds a day. What a wild story!
