A man accused of making more than 150 explosive devices at his Virginia home allegedly used photos of President Joe Biden for target practice, according to court documents.
Brad Kenneth Spafford, 36, was arrested Dec. 17 following an investigation by the FBI. Investigators reportedly found dozens of pipe bombs "preloaded into an apparent wearable vest" during a search warrant execution, according to court documents obtained by CBS News.
The FBI was first alerted to Spafford's alleged activities last year after a neighbor told officials that Spafford had lost three fingers on one hand because of a homemade explosion in July 2021, according to an affidavit obtained by Court Watch.
A detective testified during Spafford's hearing Monday that the informant had told them that the suspect had allegedly been using photos of Biden at a shooting range for target practice. The informant added that Spafford allegedly said that he wanted to "bring back political assassination," as reported by the Smithfield Times.
Spafford was arrested on a charge of possessing a short barrel rifle, however Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gant said there could be "numerous" additional charges filed, as reported by the Smithfield Times.
Spafford was booked into the Western Tidewater Regional Jail on a $25,000 bond. If he makes bond, he will be restricted to his mother's home and will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device.
"There is not a shred of evidence in the record that Mr. Spafford ever threatened anyone and the contention that someone might be in danger because of their political views and comments is nonsensical. In fact, the evidence proved that Mr. Spafford is not a danger but a hard-working family man with no criminal record," Spafford's lawyers wrote in a filing Tuesday, according to Court Watch.
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