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During a raid of 36-year-old Brad Spafford's property in the Isle of Wight County, officials say that they recovered more than 150 bombs, unstable chemicals, and a notebook full of explosive recipes, authorities said.
Spafford, who lived on a 20-acre farm in Isle of Wight County with his wife and two young children, was arrested on Dec. 17 after agents executed a search warrant and found a shocking stockpile of weapons, according to court records.
Authorities said the stash included over 150 homemade pipe bombs, with some labeled “lethal,” and tools and materials for making more. Many of the devices were found in a detached garage, while others were in a backpack inside the house, federal prosecutors said.
In the family’s freezer, agents discovered a jar of highly volatile HMTD explosive material labeled “Dangerous” and “Do Not Touch,” sitting unsecured next to food, investigators said.
Court filings also detail how Spafford allegedly kept a short-barrel rifle, which was unregistered, and maintained a notebook filled with recipes for military-grade explosives such as C-4.
The FBI said agents detonated most of the explosives on-site because they were too unstable to move.
Federal prosecutors argued that Spafford’s stockpile and apparent interest in political violence made him a threat to the community.
“The defendant has the undisputed know-how, resources, and extreme inclination to manufacture and stockpile improvised explosive devices,” they said.
The FBI described the seizure as “the largest by number of finished explosive devices in FBI history.”
"Spafford poses a risk of danger to the community which cannot be sufficiently mitigated by any conditions, and preclude him being granted bail," prosecutors stated.
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