The FBI has revealed the discovery of more than 150 bombs during a raid on a farm in Virginia, believed to be the largest explosive cache the agency has ever seized.
Brad Spafford was arrested on December 17 in Isle of Wight County, located about 180 miles (290 km) south of Washington, D.C. Authorities apprehended him following a tip-off regarding his stockpiling of weapons and homemade ammunition on the property where he lives with his wife and two young children.
Among the seized devices, investigators found some in an unsecured backpack labeled “#nolivesmatter,” referencing a far-right, anti-government ideology.
A lawyer representing Spafford argued that he poses no threat to the community and is seeking his release from pre-trial detention. Currently, he faces a charge for possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle, although more charges may follow.
Authorities noted that this seizure is “preliminarily assessed as the largest by number of finished explosive devices in FBI history.” Investigators discovered that Spafford had previously used photos of U.S. President Joe Biden for target practice and had expressed a desire for Vice President Kamala Harris to be assassinated.
Despite suffering from a serious injury—losing three fingers in 2021 while handling homemade explosives—Spafford allegedly continued to construct bombs. A neighbor, who previously worked in law enforcement, reported Spafford’s activities and recorded interactions that prompted the FBI to search his 20-acre property.
The exploration revealed explosives scattered around the house, including pipe bombs, some of which were sorted by color and labeled “lethal.” Disturbingly, a jar containing the highly volatile explosive HMTD was found in a freezer near food accessible to children, marked with warnings about its danger.
Spafford reportedly discussed fortifying his property with a turret for a .50 caliber firearm and expressed conspiracy theories about missing children being taken by the federal government for training as school shooters.
While Spafford’s attorney dismissed concerns about his dangerousness as “speculation and fear-mongering,” the federal judge overseeing the case had initially ordered his release with electronic monitoring. This decision is currently on hold as the government seeks to keep him in pre-trial detention.
Credit: BBC News
