The FBI said it found more than 150 bombs during a raid on a farm in Virginia – believed to be the largest such cache seized by the law enforcement agency in its history.
Brad Spafford was arrested Dec. 17 in Isle of Wight County, 180 miles (290 km) south of Washington, D.C., after a tip that he was stockpiling guns and homemade ammunition at the property he shares with his wife and two young children.
Investigators say some of the devices were found in a bedroom in an unsecured backpack with the tagline “#nolivesmatter” – an apparent reference to a far-right, anti-government movement.
A lawyer for Mr Spafford has denied he is a danger to the public and is seeking his client's release from pre-trial detention.
The suspect has so far only been charged with possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, although investigators say more charges are likely.
Investigators said Tuesday that the bombs were “preliminarily estimated to be the largest seizure by number of improvised explosive devices in FBI history.”
Mr Spafford is said to have used pictures of US President Joe Biden for target practice and expressed hope that Vice President Kamala Harris would be killed.
He recently requested a sniper rifle qualification at a local range, according to court documents.
The charging document said an unnamed neighbor reported that Mr Spafford continued to make bombs even after he lost three fingers on his right hand in 2021 “while operating an improvised explosive device”.
The neighbor, who worked in law enforcement, carried a recording device during a visit to Mr. Spafford's 20-acre farm earlier this year, investigators said.
Evidence gathered by the neighbor led FBI agents to search the property, where they found explosives scattered around the home, according to the charging document.
The FBI's initial assessment found the devices to be “pipe bombs.” Most were in a detached garage and were sorted by color. Some were labeled “deadly”.
Several bombs were found loaded into a vest, court documents said.
More bombs “were found completely unsecured in a backpack” in the home. The outside of the backpack is labeled “#nolivesmatter,” court documents say.
Nolivesmatter is a movement that promotes extremist ideology, targeted attacks, mass murder and criminal activity and encourages members to engage in self-harm and animal abuse, according to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
In addition to the pipe bombs, investigators say they found a jar of a highly volatile explosive called HMTD, which the FBI notes is so unstable that it can detonate only when the temperature changes and does not require a detonator to detonate.
The jar of HMTD was labeled “Dangerous” and “Do Not Touch” and was stored in a freezer next to food accessible to children, according to court documents.
The neighbor also told investigators that Mr. Spafford discussed fortifying the property with a .50-caliber gun turret on the roof.
Mr. Spafford, who worked in a machine shop, had also said that the missing children in the news had been taken by the federal government to be trained as school shooters, according to court documents.
A lawyer for Mr. Spafford said Tuesday that the government's claim that he was dangerous was “rank speculation and fear-mongering” because the suspect had no criminal record.
“There is no evidence in the record that Mr. Spafford ever threatened anyone, and to suggest that anyone could be in danger because of his political views and comments is preposterous,” writes the lawyer.
The federal judge overseeing the case ordered Mr. Spafford to be released on electronic monitoring.
However, this decision has been delayed as the government wants to remand the suspect.