Mich. man charged in RNC plot
A Michigan man was charged in what authorities said was a scheme to use Molotov cocktails to attack the main arena for the Republican National Convention.
Matthew Bradley DePalma, 23, of Flint, was charged Saturday with one count of unregistered firearms after a two-month investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday. He was arrested the same day at a house in Minneapolis.
Authorities said DePalma attended an event in Waldo, Wis., in July called the CrimeThinc Convergence, and told an FBI source he wanted to travel to Minnesota to attack the convention.
An FBI affidavit said DePalma talked about making Molotov cocktails, got the supplies in August, and assembled five by the time of his arrest. DePalma talked of attacking Xcel Energy Center, the affidavit said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office didn't immediately return a call to see if an attorney had been appointed for DePalma, and a phone listing for him in Flint had been disconnected.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday.
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