Man arrested with explosives at Michigan mosque

[peonyu]

"DEARBORN, Mich. — A 63-year-old California man who had explosives with him was arrested outside one of the nation's largest mosques in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, authorities in Michigan said.

Dearborn police said Roger Stockham was arraigned Wednesday on one count of making a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of possessing explosives with an unlawful intent. A statement from police says Stockham had class-C fireworks.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter says Stockham was arrested Monday in the parking lot of Islamic Center of America."

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20110130/US.Mosque.Terrorist.Threat/


If this man was there to prank people then fair enough, a small ammount of jail time is warranted for being a idiot and harassing people. But he was arrested on Terrorism charges for Class C fireworks [called 'explosives' in the article - as though he had building destroying bombs on him], which can include jail time up to 20 years.

Class C fireworks for anyone who does not know, are consumer grade fireworks everyone buys at the fourth of July. They include -

* fountains
* sparklers
* novelty items
* smoke items
* wheels & spinners

They also include tiny firecrackers that could not dent a blade of glass but make a loud bang noise. The largest Class C fireworks are fountains that everyone has seen before, and avoid since they are so lame.

Seems like The Council on American-Islamic Relations is trying to play the victim and exaggerating, which is a change of pace since it is usually their people who are blowing places up with 'real' bombs. Id rather have a "terrorist" who is using a Sparkler as a form of intimidation than deal with the Islamic ones who strap TnT to their chests anyday.

 

[amdhunter]

What a retard. I am sure he is some sort of Teabagging idiot, so it's almost like you have to forgive him. He doesn't know any better.

And to the OP saying:

Seems like The Council on American-Islamic Relations is trying to play the victim and exaggerating, which is a change of pace since it is usually their people who are blowing places up with 'real' bombs.

You've got to be kidding me. If this were a Muslim doing this at any other religious gathering, he'd be in jail fighting terrorism charges right now. They'd be loads of "victims" milking this. Especially the nutjobs on FOX News.

 

[bfdd]

dude is a fucking retard seriously wtf was he thinking? if it's true about having some small fireworks and crap i doubt the terrorism charge will stick, but what a piece of shit.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Did you choose not to include the entire statement in your post?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110130/ap_on_re_us/us_mosque_terrorist_threat

Stockham had a large but undisclosed quantity of class-C fireworks including M-80s, which are outlawed in Michigan, Chief Ronald Haddad said.

 

[sandorski]

Blowing up stuff in Michigan is just rearranging the rubble at this point.

Dude was being an Idiot and Redundant.

 

[JS80]

What a retard. I am sure he is some sort of Teabagging idiot, so it's almost like you have to forgive him. He doesn't know any better.

And to the OP saying:



You've got to be kidding me. If this were a Muslim doing this at any other religious gathering, he'd be in jail fighting terrorism charges right now. They'd be loads of "victims" milking this. Especially the nutjobs on FOX News.

just like the guy who shot Giffords, right?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Did you choose not to include the entire statement in your post?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110130/ap_on_re_us/us_mosque_terrorist_threat

Which these days might propel a plastic bottle upwards of 20 feet! These are not your fathers M80s. Idiot yes terrorist no.

 

[jackschmittusa]

M-80s are fine little bombs. Dip them in Elmers glue, wait for the glue to get real tacky, roll them in a pie pan of BBs. Nice effect!

Remove the charges from several and place in a pipe.

Not complete instructions, but you get the idea. Not exactly as harmless as the OP makes out.

If this guy carried them with him, I'd guess he drove there. Quite an endeavor for a little harmless fun.

Sounds like a retard that belongs in jail.

 

[Orignal Earl]

Which these days might propel a plastic bottle upwards of 20 feet! These are not your fathers M80s. Idiot yes terrorist no.

Where were you guys when the idiot Muslim guys were Trying to make bombs etc.

 

[Ronstang]

M-80s are fine little bombs. Dip them in Elmers glue, wait for the glue to get real tacky, roll them in a pie pan of BBs. Nice effect!

That is BS. As long as I can remember they have been making M-80s out of such thick tubing they do not actually explode but rather blow the end caps off.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Where were you guys when the idiot Muslim guys were Trying to make bombs etc.

Right here. If idiot Muslim guys go around with firecrackers I'll say the same thing.

I'm sure you have a point but you haven't made it.

 

[NoWhereM]

Dearborn, located about 10 miles west of Detroit, is the capital of the Detroit area's Arab-American community, which is one of the largest in the U.S.

I didn't know the Arab-American community had their own government.

 

[Orignal Earl]

Right here. If idiot Muslim guys go around with firecrackers I'll say the same thing.

I'm sure you have a point but you haven't made it.

There have been several Muslims who fashion very crude almost hilarious bombs that were instantly labeled terrorist and sent half of P&N into a panic
The times square bomber used firecrackers too.

 

[Brainonska511]

I didn't know the Arab-American community had their own government.

Really? You went with that?

 

[101mpg]

What a retard. I am sure he is some sort of Teabagging idiot, so it's almost like you have to forgive him. He doesn't know any better.

Lol I did a search for Roger Stockham and this came up...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110130154635AAmarom

Why did Faux New*s say Roger Stockham is a muslim?
when he admitted to being in the gop tea party
and try to blow up a mosque

That's you isn't it?? Why are so many people so desperate to tie the tea party to violence, why do you so badly want them to be your political enemy?? I don't like fundamentalist religious wackos but I don't watch the news and sit there saying "oh i hope so badly that this is a muslim or catholic or someone else so I can prove to everyone how right I was about them!"

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

There have been several Muslims who fashion very crude almost hilarious bombs that were instantly labeled terrorist and sent half of P&N into a panic
The times square bomber used firecrackers too.

According to Wiki

• two travel alarm clocks with batteries that apparently were fashioned as triggering devices, connected by electrical wires to
• two red full 5-gallon cans of gasoline, sandwiching
• 40+ consumer-grade M-88 firecrackers inside a 20-ounce metal container (wrapped in duct tape, with its end removed),
• gunpowder,
• three full 20-gallon propane tanks, and
• a 55-inch (1,400 mm) x 32-inch (810 mm) green metal gun locker that contained:

• a metal pressure cooker pot containing a thicket of wires, that also connected to the alarm clocks;
• 250 pounds (113 kg) of urea-based fertilizer in 8 plastic bags; and
• 120 M-88s.[28][33][34][35][22][36]

That's a lot more than firecrackers, and if it went off many people would have died. Now if it turns out that the subject of the OP was doing the same thing, sure he gets his ass handed to him.

I don't think that you would want to argue that the Time Square bomber wasn't a terrorist.

 

[Orignal Earl]

I don't think that you would want to argue that the Time Square bomber wasn't a terrorist.

No
With the info I have on this guy I can't form an opinion yet.
But he defiantly is getting a pass from people here.
If he was trying to blow up the mosque with his homemade bomb does that make him a terrorist?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

If he was trying to blow up the mosque with his homemade bomb does that make him a terrorist?

Yes.

 

[Orignal Earl]

Yes.

Good deal

 

[Lanyap]

This is an interesting version. So this guy was going to blow up a huge mosque with a trunk full of fireworks? I doubt if he is a Tea Partier if he has "a long history of anti-government activities,".

Man arrested with explosives at US mosque
By JEFF KAROUB
The Associated Press
updated 1 hour 9 minutes ago 2011-01-31T01:26:41

DETROIT — A California man traveling with explosives in his vehicle with the intention of blowing up one of the nation's largest mosques where mourners had gathered for a funeral was arrested in a Detroit suburb, authorities said Sunday.

Police said Roger Stockham, 63, was arraigned Wednesday on one count of making a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of possessing explosives with an unlawful intent. Stockham had a large but undisclosed quantity of class-C fireworks including M-80s, which are outlawed in Michigan, Chief Ronald Haddad said.

"I was comfortable with the fact that we had taken him off the street — he isn't going anywhere," Haddad told The Associated Press Sunday afternoon. "I think the society he wanted to impact is safe."

Haddad said Stockham was arrested Monday evening without incident in the parking lot of Islamic Center of America, while a large group was gathered inside. He said police received a 911 call from a resident.

Haddad said authorities believe Stockham was acting alone but still take him "very seriously." He said Stockham has "a long history of anti-government activities," though he declined to elaborate.

The chief said he called the mosque leader, Imam Hassan al-Qazwini, early Tuesday to let him know of the arrest, and later met with Qazwini and mosque board members. He said members shared concerns about copycat crimes if the arrest was publicized, and Haddad said he understood.

"We never want to put something out there that gives someone the 'how-to,'" Haddad said.

Qazwini informed worshippers about the incident during his sermon on Friday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter issued a news release Saturday night and the police followed Sunday morning.

Stockham remained jailed Sunday on a $500,000 bond. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Friday.

Police didn't know whether Stockham had an attorney. A public records search did not turn up a listed number for Stockham, though Haddad said he lives in Imperial Beach, near San Diego.

Dearborn, located about 10 miles west of Detroit, is the capital of the Detroit area's Arab-American community, which is one of the largest in the U.S.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41338764/ns/us_news/

 

[Lanyap]

M-80s are fine little bombs. Dip them in Elmers glue, wait for the glue to get real tacky, roll them in a pie pan of BBs. Nice effect!

Remove the charges from several and place in a pipe.

Not complete instructions, but you get the idea. Not exactly as harmless as the OP makes out.

If this guy carried them with him, I'd guess he drove there. Quite an endeavor for a little harmless fun.

Sounds like a retard that belongs in jail.

I guess that guy was going to do all that to the M-80s while he was sitting in his car in front of the mosque? This guy is some looney long time anti-government type that was trying to make a statement.

 

[Schadenfroh]

I am sure he is some sort of Teabagging idiot

This guy was driven to do this by the Tea Party and the current "tone" in politics for sure. It is so strong that it caused him to plant a pipe bomb back in '85.
http://www.pressandguide.com/articl...4d44e46419b6e142123864.txt?viewmode=fullstory

A 1985 Los Angeles Times article said Stockham was arrested that year at Reno Cannon International Airport for planting a pipe bomb and carrying an unregistered firearm. The newspaper said Stockham, 38 at the time, had a history of criminal and mental problems and was being sent to a federal penitentary for evaluation

While I doubt he could have done much damage with what he had, glad they caught him before he tried anything stupid.

 

[umbrella39]

Blowing up stuff in Michigan is just rearranging the rubble at this point.

Dude was being an Idiot and Redundant.

Hey, that's my hometown and was perfectly fine until Orville Hubbard died! Dearborn isn't all that bad so long as you stick near Michigan Ave and don't go too close to City Hall.

 

[rcpratt]

I read "Michigan mosque" and was entirely shocked that this happened in Dearborn.

 

[jackschmittusa]

Ronstang

There are ways to make it work quite nicely. If you noticed, I said they were not complete instructions. Did you expect me give detailed instructions to all of the loons who might drop by the thread on how to actually do it? And maybe make a government "watch list" to boot? lol