The FBI found the largest cache of explosives on a farm in Virginia

The FBI says it found more than 150 bombs during a raid on a farm in Virginia, believed to be the largest such cache seized by law enforcement in its history.

Brad Spafford was arrested on December 17 in Isle of Wight County, 180 miles (290 km) south of Washington, D.C., after a tip that he was storing guns and homemade ammunition at a property that he shared with his wife and two small children.

Investigators say some of the devices were found in a bedroom in an unsecured backpack with the words “#nolivesmatter” written on it, an apparent reference to the far-right anti-government movement.

Mr Stafford’s lawyer denies he is a danger to the community and is seeking his client’s release from custody.

So far, the suspect has only been charged with possession of an unregistered short-barreled handgun, although investigators say more charges are possible.

Investigators said Tuesday that the bombs were “preliminarily estimated to be the largest seizure of ready-made explosive devices in FBI history.”

It is alleged that Mr Stafford used photographs of US President Joe Biden for target practice and expressed the hope that Vice President Kamala Harris would be killed.

According to court documents, he recently sought to qualify as a sniper rifle at a local shooting range.

The indictment said an unnamed neighbor reported that Mr Stafford continued to make bombs even after he lost three fingers on his right hand in 2021 “working with an improvised explosive device”.

The neighbor, who used to work in law enforcement, wore a recording device during a visit to Mr. Stafford’s 20-acre farm earlier this year, investigators said.

Evidence gathered by a neighbor led FBI agents to search the property, where they found explosives scattered around the home, according to the indictment.

The FBI’s initial assessment indicated that the devices were “pipe bombs.” Most were in a separate garage and were sorted by color. Some were labeled as “fatal.”

Several bombs were found loaded into the vest, court documents show.

Other bombs “were found completely unsecured in a backpack” in the home. The exterior of the backpack had the words “#nolivesmatter,” according to court documents.

Nolivesmatter is a movement that promotes extremist ideology, targeted attacks, mass killings and criminal activity and encourages members to self-harm and abuse animals, according to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

In addition to the pipe bombs, investigators say they found a can of a highly volatile explosive called HMTD, which the FBI notes is so unstable that it can only be detonated by a change in temperature and does not require a detonator to detonate.

According to court filings, the can of HMTD was labeled “Dangerous” and “Do Not Touch” and was kept in the freezer next to food accessible to children.

The neighbor also told investigators that Mr. Stafford had discussed the possibility of fortifying the property with a .50-caliber firearms turret on the roof.

Mr. Stafford, who worked in a machine shop, also said the missing children in the news had been recruited by the federal government to train school shooters, according to court documents.

Mr. Stafford’s lawyer said on Tuesday that the government’s claims that he was dangerous were “rank speculation and fear mongering” because the suspect had no criminal record.

“There is no evidence in the record that Mr. Spafford ever threatened anyone, and the assertion that anyone could be in danger because of his political views and comments is meaningless.” – wrote the lawyer.

The federal judge presiding over the case ordered Mr. Spafford to be released on electronic monitoring.

However, that decision has been delayed as the government seeks to keep the suspect in pre-trial detention.