Vladislav Miftakhov, a Russian Penn State engineering student, has been charged in a federal court with possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), possessing and making unregistered bombs, etc. The prosecutor said they still do know his intentions but the charges are warranted because of the public risk, even if Miftakhov’s “intentions were benign.” What can possibly be considered “benign” about keeping weapons in an apartment that can potentially detonate from static electricity? Remember, we didn’t even find WMD in Iraq! Under the radar is the news that a note was found with Miftakhov’s signature “rolled up into an empty .44-caliber shell casing that said “If you find this, you will never find me.” A few paragraphs down you’ll see what a Russian news site have to say about his surname and Islam.
Vladislav Miftakhov photo in reports of arrest
In early reports, authorities said Miftakhov told them he “planned to blow things up,” but the Daily Mail article linked below says he is now saying he was “experimenting with flash powder,” which is usually associated with fireworks and pyrotechnics.
Robert Donaldson, Miftakhov’s attorney, says his client comes from a good family and has no prior criminal record: “once the facts come out, people will see a different side of this,” he said. But…isn’t that where every young bomber-wanna-be starts?
According to the federal charges, Miftakhov ordered potassium perchlorate and magnesium online, then mixed the chemicals and put them into the empty carbon dioxide cartridges.
Those “explosive precursor chemicals” can be used to create a bomb that is “extremely sensitive to impact, friction, static spark and heat,” the complaint said. Source: Penn Live
Vladislav Miftakhov: Facebook Profile Pic, January 5, 2014
Note that a few days ago, one of his neighbor said Miftakhov had blown-up “small craters” in the ground at the apartment building. That neighbor, Andrew Leff, is also quoting saying Miftakhov was the “weirdest individual” he had ever known. Leff allegedly went along for this bit of excitement:
The federal complaint quotes a person identified only by the initials “A.L.” who said he went with Miftakhov when the suspect detonated two of three devices in a field. According to the ATF, those devices each contained about 1.5 grams of the chemical mixture “and made a large and loud explosion which surprised A.L.” The duo left the field before blowing up the third device because neighbors were coming out of their homes due to the noise.
Authorities found the unexploded third device and a much larger one, containing approximately 200 grams of chemicals, in Miftakhov’s room. The witness told investigators he had refused to accompany Miftakhov when he was asked to join him in detonating it. (Source: see the Penn Live link above)
Miftakhov graduated high school in San Carlos, California. His parents reportedly still live there. He is a freshman at Penn State, 19-years-old, and was born in Moscow.
“They found one pound of “atomized magnesium and one pound of Chinese potassium perchlorate along with a package labeled potassium nitrate.” Source: Daily Mail
This from a RiaNovosti (ria.ru), a Russian news site:
“Miftakhov” is a surname used by Russia’s Bashkir and Tatar ethnic minorities, which are predominantly Muslim, but have mostly stayed away from aggressive Islam. Source: RiaNovosti
Is Vladislav here legally? How about his family? Have they overstayed their visas? Does he have siblings and if so, how old are they and where are they? Does he have ties to Islam? Could the chemicals in his possession be used effectively in a pressure cooker? He allegedly ordered his chems and devices from Amazon. What does the NSA know about him?
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