SMITHFIELD, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia residents in Isle of Wight County worried about the large FBI presence and numerous explosions heard off of Foursquare Road in mid-December finally have answers.
According to federal court documents, agents had just uncovered a massive trove of pipe bombs, and deemed them too unstable to transport — so they blew them up. The FBI said it believes it’s the largest amount of homemade explosives it has encountered in its history.
Brad Spafford, 36, was taken into custody at his Isle of Wight County home on Dec. 17 and charged with a weapons violation. The FBI executed a search warrant and uncovered the ‘improvised explosive devices,’ along with bomb-making instructions and materials and a jar full of a homemade high-explosive stored in the family freezer.
“FBI bomb technicians, who X-rayed the devices on scene, assessed them as pipe bombs,” the newly filed document reads. “The majority were found in a detached garage, organized by color. … Some were hand-labeled “lethal.”
“Some were preloaded into an apparent wearable vest,” it continued. “In the garage were also found numerous tools and materials for manufacturing explosives, a home-made mortar, and riot gear.”
The filing also describes how the the pipe bombs were made — with two layers of plastic tubes.
“[I]n between the tubes were metal spheres which ‘would enhance the fragmentation effect of the device upon its explosion.’ it quotes an FBI analysis of one bomb. “The lab concluded that the device was ‘capable of causing property damage, personal injury and/or death.'”
Spafford was released on $25,000 bond earlier this week. The new details in this case come from new filings from the defense, arguing to block his release.
Spafford’s attorney argued that he never posed a threat to anyone. A motion by the defense describes him as “a hard-working family man with no criminal record.”
“[T’he government has been investigating and carefully watching Mr. Spafford for approximately two years through the use of a confidential human source who was a friend and confidant,” it reads. “During all of that time, there is no evidence or allegation that Mr. Spafford committed or attempted to commit any act of violence.”
Spafford’s original, and so far only charge, is for violating the National Firearms Act — for possessing a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches. His Dec. 30 preliminary hearing found enough evidence to allow the case to move forward.
“The fact that he had a wearable vest, and he had plans, and he was training; he was wanting to take a sniper course. I think they caught a very dangerous person well before that, he had the ability to act,” former chief of the FBI counter drone unit Rob D’amico told NewsNation.
The prosecution’s filing worried about Spafford’s ability to access weapons and the danger he might pose even to the officers who have to check up on him before trial. They acknowledged that new charges for the bombs — each one carrying 10 years — were almost certainly impending.
“The defendant has the undisputed know-how, resources, and extreme inclination to manufacture and stockpile improvised explosive devices,” it reads. “Even after losing his own fingers as a result of his homemade explosive materials, he made the apparent remarkable decision to keep an extraordinarily danger explosive material in the home’s freezer next to food items that could be accessed by the entire family.”
Most of the evidence prosecutors relied on for the firearms charge came from a person Spafford apparently believed he was friends with. He showed the man his illegal rifle and the two went shooting together.
“[The source] also noted that the defendant was using pictures of the president for target practice at shooting at a local range, stated that he believed political assassinations should be brought back, and that missing children in the news had been taken by the federal government to be trained as school shooter,” the prosecution’s filing reads.
Spafford also allegedly joked about someone assassinating then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The document describes a casual meeting at his newly-purchased farm.
“He also discussed fortifying the property with a 360-degree turret for a 50-caliber firearm on the roof, and noted how he could block the driveway with a vehicle so no other vehicles could access,” it reads.
Former FBI agent Dennis Franks suggested the suspect had ties to extreme right-wing views and anarchist groups.
“I think he adhered to right wing extremist views. I think there was some indication of some No Lives Matter language that was associated with him. This is associated with with anarchist groups that believe in political assassinations and extreme right wing views,” Franks said. “So evidently, this investigation, which looks like it’d been going on for about a year or so, had uncovered quite a bit of information.”