Former Navy SEAL Convicted in Plot Against Law Enforcement
A former U.S. Navy SEAL has been found guilty in connection with a failed plan to attack law enforcement officers using explosives during a protest in California. This development came to light after a tip-off from a store clerk directed federal agents to him.
Gregory Vandenberg, age 49, was convicted after a five-day federal trial on charges of transporting explosives with the intent to kill or intimidate and for attempting to bring restricted fireworks into California, as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Mexico.
The jury deliberated for roughly three hours before reaching their decision.
According to prosecutors, Vandenberg was on his way from El Paso, Texas, to San Diego for the June 14, 2025 protest. He stopped at a travel center near Roseburg, New Mexico, where he bought six mortar fireworks and 72 M-150 firecrackers.
While at the store, Vandenberg reportedly informed an employee that he planned to throw explosives at the police during the protest. Authorities expressed concerns over his inquiries about the gunpowder content in the fireworks and whether connecting multiple mortars would enhance their explosive potential, emphasizing his focus on their capacity to harm officers.
Testimony revealed that Vandenberg also encouraged the store staff to join the protests and distribute fireworks, asserting that his military background would keep him safe.
Feeling unsettled by the conversation, the employee recorded Vandenberg’s license plate and reported him to the police before he reached California.
Federal agents tracked him to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, and arrested him early the next morning while he was sleeping in his car.
Prosecutors pointed out that Vandenberg misrepresented his travel as work-related despite being unemployed. He later claimed he was visiting friends in Phoenix.
A search of his vehicle uncovered clothing featuring anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, and extremist symbols, in addition to the fireworks he had purchased. Among the items were shirts bearing the al-Qaeda flag, slogans calling for destruction in Judea, and other clothing associated with neo-Nazi ideology.
During the trial, jurors saw a photograph of Vandenberg wearing a custom T-shirt that read “AMALEK,” which he indicated meant “destroyer of the Jews.” Investigators also discovered a Taliban flag on his cell phone’s home screen, along with violent extremist content and messages about upcoming protests.
Prosecutors argued that these materials illustrated Vandenberg’s motives for targeting law enforcement, suggesting he believed that the U.S. government, including former President Donald Trump, was under the control of Israel and Jewish interests.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison commented, “People can hold beliefs and express them peacefully, but they cannot intimidate or terrorize others with explosives.” He noted that Vandenberg aimed to use explosives as intimidation tools, reinforcing the stance that violent attempts to express beliefs will face federal consequences.
Vandenberg has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison, where he will remain in custody. Following his release, he will have a year of supervised release.
