A Virginia man who allegedly used photos of President Joe Biden for target practice was discovered at his home with the largest stockpile of homemade explosive devices in FBI history, according to authorities.
Brad Spafford was deemed a “extreme danger to the community” after a search of his home yielded more than 150 homemade explosives, including pipe bombs.
The 36-year-old was arrested and detained earlier this month on the relatively minor charge of possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle.
Along with the original complaint, an agent from the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force stated in an affidavit that Spafford’s fingers were disfigured by a homemade explosion on July 4, 2021.
The document, first reported by Court Watch, stated that Spafford was thought to be stockpiling weapons and ammunition.
The FBI discovered “a stockpile of more than 150 homemade improvised explosive devices, assessed as pipe bombs,” court documents stated, during the execution of a search warrant at Spafford’s 20-acre property in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, where he lived with two young children earlier this month.
Some of these devices were labeled “lethal,” and another jar discovered in the garage contained an unstable explosive material labeled “dangerous” and “do not touch.”
More pipe bombs were discovered in one of the bedrooms, inside a backpack with a grenade-shaped patch reading “#NoLivesMatter,” according to prosecutors.
The No Lives Matter movement is a nihilistic, far-right ideology that is primarily found on encrypted online messaging platforms such as Telegram.
According to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the organization advocates for “targeted attacks, mass killings, and criminal activity” and has “historically encouraged members to engage in self-harm and animal abuse.”
The document, a motion to prevent Spafford’s release from custody, stated that “the defendant has used pictures of the President for target practice, expressed support for political assassinations, and recently sought qualifications in sniper rifle shooting at a local range.”
“His release poses an extreme danger to those he lives with, the general community, and also the pretrial officers who will be tasked with periodically inspecting his residence for firearms including dangerous and unstable explosives.”
A federal judge granted the stay-of-release order on Monday.
On Tuesday, Spafford’s lawyer responded to the DOJ’s motion, claiming that the government’s claim that he was a threat was “rank speculation and fear mongering.”
“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,” according to the filing.
“In fact, the evidence proved that Mr. Spafford is not a danger but a hard-working family man with no criminal record.”
