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Federal prosecutors said Raymond Elders stored more than two dozen improvised explosive devices in an apartment in White Plains, New York, after reports of loud booms in a suburban neighborhood prompted authorities to the residence in the early hours of Monday.
According to the Associated Press report, police were called after neighbors heard explosions, with one resident saying she had been hearing similar sounds in the area for several weeks. Authorities said a witness directed an officer to the building where Elders lives, and the officer then reported noticing an “acrid, burning odor” before spotting what prosecutors believed was a pipe bomb on the front steps.
The complaint described Elders as 65 and said he had a “blueish black chemical residue” on his hands when police encountered him inside the apartment. Prosecutors also said Elders was holding a lighter at the time of the encounter, a detail they included as part of the case that authorities found the devices.
A search of the apartment led to the discovery of at least 25 improvised explosive devices, prosecutors said. The report also said investigators found Elders and another person inside during the initial response, according to the criminal complaint.
Prosecutors further said surveillance video from earlier this month showed a man they believe to be Elders standing on a sidewalk on his street holding what appeared to be an explosive device. The government said the person then lit the device and threw it into the street before fleeing on foot, and an explosion was heard seconds later on the footage.
Elders was charged with offenses that federal prosecutors said include use of a weapon of mass destruction, manufacturing destructive devices, and possessing those devices and explosives after felony convictions. His first court appearance occurred Tuesday, and the judge ordered him to remain in custody, citing him as a potential flight risk and a danger to the community, according to the AP report.
Sungso Lee, a federal public defender representing Elders, did not immediately respond Wednesday to an email seeking comment, the report said.