Most of the bombs were found in a separate garage at the home in Isle of Wight County, along with bomb-making tools and materials.
Federal agents found one of the largest stockpiles of homemade explosives ever seized last month when they arrested a Virginia man on a weapons charge, according to a court document filed 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 document filed Monday. This is believed to be “the largest seizure by number of completed explosive devices in FBI history,” according to prosecutors.
Most of the bombs were found in a separate garage of the home in Isle of Wight County, along with bomb-making tools and materials, including fuses and pieces of plastic tubing, according to court documents. “Several additional apparent homemade bombs were found in a backpack in the bedroom of the house, completely unsecured,” in the home the detainee shared with his wife and two young children, prosecutors said.
Spafford, 36, was charged with possession of a firearm in violation of the National Firearms Act. Authorities 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 the man planned violence and noted that he has no criminal record. Additionally, they question whether the explosive devices were usable because “professional explosive technicians had to manipulate the devices to make them explode.”
“There is not one iota of evidence in the record that Mr. Spafford threatened anyone and the claim that anyone could be in danger because of his political views and comments is absurd,” defense attorneys wrote.
Messages were left Wednesday seeking further comment 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 stockpiling weapons and ammunition, according to court documents. The informant, a friend, told authorities that Spafford had disfigured his hand in 2021 while working on homemade explosives. Prosecutors said he only has two fingers on his right hand. The informant told authorities that Spafford used images of the president, an apparent reference to President Joe Biden, for target practice and “believed political assassinations should be brought 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 hand-labeled as “lethal” and some of which were loaded in a vest, court documents state. Technicians detonated most of the devices at the scene because they were deemed unsafe to transport, although several were preserved for analysis.
At a hearing Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate 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 “although he is not known to have participated in any apparent violence, he has certainly expressed an interest in it, through his manufacturing of pipe bombs marked 'lethal.'” , his possession of riot gear and a vest loaded with homemade bombs, his support for political assassinations and the use of the president's images for target practice.