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Man Charged With Explosives Possession; RNC Plot Alleged

FBI agents have charged a Michigan man with possession of five Molotov cocktails, allegedly to be used at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., during the Republican National Convention. Matthew DePalma, 23, was arrested during a raid at a Minneapolis apartment on Saturday, according to federal court documents released today. He was charged in U.S. District Court with possessing explosive devices. DePalma is expected in court on Friday. The FBI had been tracking DePalma’s activities during the past several weeks using a confidential source. DePalma and the source met in July, when both attended the CrimethInc Convergence in Waldo, Wis., a gathering of members of the Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee, a group whose goal is to disrupt the convention. “DePalma stated his intention to travel to Minnesota to attend the RNC,” the documents state. “He also expressed his desire to ‘make some bombs’ and ‘blow s–t up’ during the RNC.” According to the court documents: DePalma and the source met in mid-August. The duo spent several days together, including traveling to a local library to research recipes for explosive devices and buying the ingredients to make them. Eventually, DePalma manufactured five Molotov cocktails, according to the FBI. DePalma told the source that he planned to enter tunnels near the Xcel Center and use Molotov cocktails or a chemical bomb to destroy electrical cables, causing a power outage at the arena. He also planned to use napalm-filled Molotov cocktails on the streets against police officers.

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