PICTURED: Man, 56, ‘who planned to blow himself up with a 200lb bomb in DC on Election Day because he is angry at the direction of the country and wants to promote an ancient Greek political system’
Paul Rosenfeld, 56, charged with unlawfully manufacturing a destructive device and interstate transportation and receipt of an explosive
FBI and police say Rosenfeld was planning to blow himself up with a 200-pound bomb on Election Day in Washington DC
He wanted to draw attention to a political system known from ancient Greece called sortition, in which public officials are chosen randomly
His alleged plot was uncovered after Rosenfeld shared his plans with a Pennsylvania reporter
Rosenfeld has no past criminal history and is not believed to have ties to any extremist or terrorist organizations
By SNEJANA FARBEROV
DAILYMAIL.COM
11 October 2018
FBI agents and local police have arrested a New York man for allegedly trying to build a 200-pound bomb they say he planned to use to blow himself up on the National Mall in Washington DC on Election Day next month.
Paul Rosenfeld, 56, of Tappan, was charged on Wednesday with unlawfully manufacturing a destructive device and interstate transportation and receipt of an explosive.
Prosecutors said Rosenfeld’s aim was to kill himself with the bomb and draw attention to a political system known from ancient Greece called sortition, in which public officials are chosen by a lottery rather than elected.
He also said he was angry at the direction the country was going.
The FBI raided Rosenfeld’s home Tuesday and found a functional bomb in his basement that consisted of black powder inside a plywood box, according to a criminal complaint.
Agents also found empty canisters of black powder often used in firearms and artillery, the complaint said.
The FBI said in court filings that Rosenfeld, after being pulled over on Tuesday, confessed to ordering large quantities of black powder over the internet and having the substance delivered to ‘a location in New Jersey.’
Rosenfeld then took the black powder to his home New York, constructed smaller explosive devices and conducted test detonations, according to the criminal complaint.
William Sweeney Jr, the assistant director of the FBI’s New York field office, said in a statement that Rosenfeld intended to ‘detonate a large explosive to kill himself and draw attention to his radical beliefs.’
‘Had he been successful, Rosenfeld’s alleged plot could have claimed the lives of innocent bystanders and caused untold destruction,’ Sweeney said in the statement. ‘Fortunately, his plans were thwarted by the quick action of a concerned citizen and the diligent work of a host of our law enforcement partners and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.’
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