A 23-year-old man is facing criminal charges after the FBI caught him discussing plans to "blow up" the Republican convention, according to a court complaint unsealed today.
Matthew DePalma was charged last week with illegal use of the bombs known as Molotov cocktails. The FBI arrested him on Saturday in Minneapolis, near the site of the Republican party political meet, after tracking him for more than a month.
"Any criminal activities aimed at disrupting the convention or acts to harm persons or properties … will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted, as appropriate," FBI special agent Ralph Boelter said in a statement on the case.
The court affidavit filed against DePalma states that he attended a July anarchist convention known as the CrimeThinc Convergence, where he divulged plans to use homemade Molotov cocktails at the convention.
DePalma was later tracked to a library, where he was observed researching bomb-making recipes, and to a remote location where he tested Molotov cocktails.
The Michigan native is also alleged to have threatened violence against police officers at the convention. The affidavit quotes DePalma as promising to "light one of those pigs on fire".
DePalma is due for an initial court appearance on Friday. If convicted of illegal firearms possession, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Man charged with threatening to 'blow up' GOP convention Michigan man faces 10 years in prison if found guilty of illegal possession of firearms |