Former Navy SEAL Sentenced for Bomb Plot During Protest

A former U.S. Navy SEAL has been sentenced after being convicted of planning to use explosives against law enforcement during a “No Kings” protest in San Diego, California.

Following a five-day federal trial, 49-year-old Gregory Vandenberg received a 16-month prison sentence for transporting explosives with intent to harm, as well as attempting to bring illegal fireworks into California. After his prison term, he will undergo a year of supervised release.

Prosecutors reported that Vandenberg was traveling from El Paso, Texas, to San Diego in preparation for the June 14, 2025 demonstrations when he stopped at a travel center in New Mexico. There, he purchased six mortar-style fireworks and 72 M-150 firecrackers.

Authorities stated that Vandenberg told a clerk he intended to use the explosives against police during the protests. It was noted that he inquired about the gunpowder content of the fireworks, asked if taping mortars together would increase their explosive power, and insisted that his goal was to injure officers.

Witnesses reported that Vandenberg even encouraged the clerk to join the protests and distribute fireworks, saying his military background would protect him.

Store employees, feeling uneasy about his comments, recorded his license plate and notified authorities before he could reach California.

Federal agents located Vandenberg at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, where he was arrested while asleep in his car.

During the investigation, Vandenberg falsely claimed he was traveling for work—even though he was unemployed—saying he was visiting friends in Phoenix.

A search of his vehicle revealed not only the fireworks but also clothing with antisemitic, anti-Israel, and extremist imagery. This included T-shirts featuring an Al-Qaeda flag and a hat with a variation of the neo-Nazi “Black Sun” symbol.

Jurors also viewed images of Vandenberg in the travel center wearing a T-shirt that read “AMALEK.” Prosecutors noted that he acknowledged to investigators that the term refers to “destroyer of Jews.”

“People in this country are free to hold their own beliefs and to express them peacefully,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. “What they are not free to do is use explosives to threaten or terrorize others.”