Man arrested for building a 200-Pound bomb for Washington's National Mall

A man from New York have been arrested and charged for building a 200-pound bomb to blow up  Washington's National Mall on Election Day.


The 56 years old, Paul Rosenfeld, appeared in federal court on Wednesday, 10th October after law enforcement agents found an explosive device in his basement on Tuesday, 9th October.

Rosenfeld in an interview with law enforcement agents admitted to purchasing black powder online, transporting it to his house in New York from New Jersey and constructing an explosive device in his basement. He also said he has previously built smaller explosives to test the devices.

The explosive device was removed by FBI bomb technicians, and law enforcement also found a system built to trigger explosions in his home.

In a statement by US Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement, "As alleged in the complaint, Paul M. Rosenfeld planned to detonate a large explosive to kill himself and draw attention to his radical political beliefs. Had he been successful, Rosenfeld's alleged plot could have claimed the lives of innocent bystanders and caused untold destruction."

Rosenfeld has been charged with one count of unlawfully manufacturing a destructive device and one count of interstate transportation and receipt of an explosive. "Each charge has a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison."