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A man from Virginia, who holds the record for having amassed the largest number of finished explosives in FBI history and has been accused of making threatening statements about political figures, has entered a guilty plea in federal court for possessing an unregistered short barrel rifle and unregistered destructive devices.
Authorities seized around 150 pipe bombs and other explosive devices from Brad Spafford’s home near Norfolk last fall, according to court documents.
Prosecutors further charged that Spafford used a photograph of former President Joe Biden for target practice, expressed a belief in the return of political assassinations, and allegedly said to someone after an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, “Bro, I hope the shooter doesn’t miss Kamala,” as reported by an informant.
The probe into Spafford’s activities started in 2023 after an informant associated with law enforcement alerted the authorities about his stockpiling of ammunition and weapons.
Authorities found a highly unstable explosive material in a freezer next to frozen foods and more explosive material inside a backpack that said “#NoLivesMatter” while searching his home in December.
Spafford has remained in custody since his arrest in December, when a judge ruled he had “shown the capacity for extreme danger.”
He originally pleaded not guilty in January, and his defense argued he should be released because he had a steady job and no criminal record.


Spafford, who is married with two young daughters, lost three fingers in a homemade explosives accident in 2021, the judge noted.
Spafford could face 10 years in prison on each charge and is scheduled to be sentenced in December.