Two men have been indicted on more than 100 charges for allegedly stockpiling ghost guns and homemade explosives in an apartment directly across from a New York City power plant.
Authorities say no links to terrorism or criminal groups have been detected at this stage of the investigation, but Andrew and Angelo Hatziagelis were arrested Friday at 130 after prosecutors said they used ghost guns, assault rifles and other weapons. He was charged with weapons possession and other related charges. A homemade explosive device was discovered in a Queens apartment.
Officials said they also found anarchist propaganda and a hit list targeting police officers, judges, politicians and celebrities.
On January 17, after a six-month investigation into the illegal manufacturing of ghost guns and 3D printed firearms, detectives and NYPD officers executed a search warrant at the Hatziagelis’ home in Astoria. Con Edison Power facility,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said at a news conference Monday.
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Andrew and Angelo Hatziagelis face 130 weapons-related charges. (Fox News)
A search of the apartment resulted in the recovery of six operational and loaded ghost guns, including 3D printed firearms, assault weapons, various body armor and eight improvised explosive devices (IEDs), she said.
Law enforcement also recovered one partially assembled IED equipped with a tripwire device, demonstrating the “advanced technology of homemade explosives,” Katz noted.
Also included are 9 functional smoke grenades that can be used as a distraction, 1 partially assembled AK-47 style ghost gun, over 600 rounds of ammunition, 1 3D printer, 3 sets of bulletproof vests, 29 high-powered smoke grenades were also found. Magazine with capacity. A radio scanner set to the 114th Precinct frequency was also found, Katz said. “So they were eavesdropping.”
“It is important to note that homemade explosives and improvised explosive devices such as the ones we recovered are generally very unpredictable and volatile. “This behavior is dangerous to the NYPD and to any office or agency that enters the building where they are housed,” she said.
During the execution of the search warrant, NYPD bomb squad detectives had to leave the premises multiple times while they examined and dismantled the device.
“In fact, four IEDs were recovered from the same container. If one of those IEDs had detonated, it would likely have created a shock wave and detonated the rest of the explosives,” Katz said. “Because of this, as I said, the bomb squad evacuated the entire building several times.”
Andrew and Angelo Hatziagelis are facing more than 100 charges for allegedly stockpiling ghost guns and homemade explosives in their Queens apartment. (Fox News)
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“Evidence reveals that the material contained in these IEDs is highly compressed, meaning there is a large amount of explosive material within it.Chemical elements When combined, these devices can: [a] “Sophisticated payload capable of causing death, injury, and significant damage,” the district attorney said. “And, as I said before, bombs and smoke grenades are very often used as a distraction, where some other crime could happen.” “
Katz said they also found numerous notebooks with instructions for making explosives and “anarchist-related propaganda.”
Authorities said they found a ghost gun, other weapons and supplies in the apartment of Andrew and Angelo Hatziagelis. (Fox News)
Among them are hit lists with the words “cops,” “judges,” “politicians,” “celebrities,” and “banker scum” scrawled across them, as well as “animal scum” made famous by Charles Manson. It includes materials expressing views such as “sacrifice is prohibited, human sacrifice is prohibited.” Forgiveness is allowed, but only for corrupt people such as murderers, politicians, and judges. ”
The search resulted in the seizure of materials useful for transporting weapons, including knapsacks, smoke grenades, spare magazines, batons, pepper spray, and bottles of food and water. Katz said there is “no indication” that the Hatziagelis are part of a terrorist network or criminal organization, but the investigation is ongoing.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said the notes “contained symbols and iconography consistent with a number of conspiracy theories,” as well as “anti-government, anti-authority, and extremist ideologies.” “The number of these groups continues to increase and has now surpassed the number of rebel groups.” The last few years. ”
“Targeting and potential obsession with judges, politicians, and police is a broader trend, including improvised napalm grenades, fertilizer bombs, black powder, smoke bombs, Molotov cocktails,” Wiener said. “This was no ordinary search warrant at all, and while we may not yet know the defendant’s intentions or the extent to which we interfered, the investigation is ongoing.”
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In an interview with Fox News ahead of the press conference, Weiner spoke broadly about the threat landscape in the United States and New York City, saying that since 9/11, no single act of terrorism has “injected so much energy into such a wide area. “I haven’t.” The terrorist threat environment as seen on October 7th. ”
“So, [we] We see a growing threat from Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the people they incite,” she said, adding, “Unfortunately, just yesterday, three U.S. service members were killed by Shiite militias. That threat is certainly much higher than it was before. And the threat of domestic violent extremism has increased as well, and has been since October 7th. But it has steadily increased in recent years. And as we get closer to the election, things are looking increasingly tough for us.”
Andrew, 39, and Angelo, 51, each face up to 25 years in prison. The next court date is February 15th.
