A Long Island man was indicted on Tuesday for making homemade bombs, which the authorities said he planned to set off in New York City.
Michael Gann, 55, of Inwood made the bombs last month with chemicals he bought on the internet, and then brought them to Manhattan. He stored some on the rooftops of adjoining residential buildings in SoHo, and threw one onto the subway tracks on the Williamsburg Bridge, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
One of the improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.s, contained about an ounce of explosive powder, which the authorities said was about 600 times the legal limit for consumer fireworks. Gann "put countless lives at risk," Jay Clayton, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement.
In March, Gann asked Donald Trump on social media if he should bomb New York City: "Dear @POTUS, I'm thinking just now here in NYC that it's too bad that the wall wasn't built before the National Guard would have to come here for the Protests and Riotation or would you just drop a bomb on this place while and because they seem to be coming and coming?"
In May and June, Gann conducted numerous Internet searches related to explosives and firearms. Hours before he was arrested with an IED on his person, Gann posted to Instagram, "Who wants me to go out to play like no tomorrow?"
Gann is charged with one count of attempted destruction of property by means of explosives, which carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of transportation of explosive materials, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and one count of unlawful possession of destructive devices, which also carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
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