Man charged after transporting homemade explosives to 'blow up' Satanic Temple, prosecutors say
A 30-year-old man could face years in prison for transporting homemade explosives from Michigan to Massachusetts to "blow up" a building dubbed The Satanic Temple last year, officials said.
Luke Isaac Terpstra is accused of also carrying firearms and ammunition across state lines in September 2023, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Michigan. The man is said to have built the devices, which he called "bombs," and later brought them to the site of the temple, which is located in Salem.
The Satanic Temple describes itself as a non-theistic organization that aims to uphold secularism and individual freedoms.
Prosecutors allege that in December, Terpstra of Grant, Michigan, told others he had explosive devices and intended to "blow up" the building. Earlier this year, he was found with materials to build the devices, including "a plastic container with coins attached to it and a piece of cannon fuse coming out of the lid; numerous metal carbon dioxide cartridges; PVC pipe; ammonium nitrate; and hobby fuses," prosecutors noted.
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Terpstra is facing multiple charges, prosecutors say
Terpstra is charged with illegally possessing a destructive device and transporting an explosive with the intent to kill, injure, or intimidate individuals or destroy a building, prosecutors announced.
If convicted, according to the release from the attorney's office, he could face up to a decade behind bars for each charge, be fined $250,000, and be expected to pay restitution to any victims.
"The charges announced today demonstrate my office's continued commitment to protecting our citizens from dangerous threats," U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement on Wednesday. "Building explosive devices and transporting them with the intent to injure civilians and damage property puts us all at risk and those who commit such crimes will be held accountable."