US Federal Bureau of Investigation seizes largest cache of homemade bombs in its history from Virginia farm

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that it has discovered more than 150 pipe bombs and explosive devices from a farm in Virginia, in what is believed to be the largest such cache seized by the US law enforcement agency in its history.

According to court documents, FBI agents found the “finished explosive devices” while raiding a 20-acre property in Virginia’s Isle of Wight county on December 17.

The property belonged to Brad Spafford, 36, who was arrested earlier in December in Washington D.C. for possessing an illegal unregistered short-barrel rifle.

The raid was conducted following his arrest and a tip-off from a neighbour that Spafford had stockpiled weapons and homemade explosives on the property where he lived with his wife and their two children.

The neighbour, who used to work in law enforcement, also told authorities that the suspect had lost three fingers in 2021 when working with a homemade explosive device and used photos of President Joe Biden for target practice at a local shooting range, reports CBS News citing prosecutors.

After President-elect Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt in July 2024 at a Pennsylvania rally, Spafford allegedly told his neighbour that “he hoped the shooter doesn’t miss Kamala” in reference to outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris, the prosecutors added.

As per FBI investigators, some of the more than 150 pipe bombs found on Spafford’s property were labeled “lethal” and “preloaded into an apparent wearable vest”.

The pipe bombs were found inside a backpack in a oom “completely unsecured”, as well as a detached garage,

Spafford also “acknowledged to keeping a jar in his freezer of HMTD, an explosive material that is so unstable it can be exploded merely as a result of friction of temperature changes”, CBS News quoted the prosecutors as saying.

FBI agents found the jar labelled “dangerous” and “do not touch” stored next to food items.

On Tuesday, Spafford’s lawyers submitted a filing for his release, stating that he was only charged with a single count of possession of an unlawful firearm and there was no evidence that he ever used the weapon, CNN reported.

The lawyers also stressed that he had no criminal record, adding that “professionally trained explosive technicians had to rig the devices to explode them”.

The judge overseeing the case ordered that Spafford be released with electronic monitoring, reports the BBC. But the decision is currently on hold as the government seeks to keep the suspect in pre-trial detention.