MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A western Minnesota man arrested earlier this month in what the FBI called a thwarted terror plot has been indicted, but not on any terror-related charges.
A federal grand jury indicted Buford Rogers, 24, Tuesday on four counts, including possessing Molotov cocktails and a pipe bomb, but not terrorism.
Rogers was indicted on one count of possessing two Molotov cocktails, one count of possessing two black powder and nail devices, and one count of possessing a pipe bomb.
Rogers also was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a Romanian assault rifle. Rogers has a 2011 conviction for felony burglary.
Rogers was arrested May 3, and a few days later the FBI said it stopped a terror attack that was in its planning stages, potentially saving lives of several Montevideo residents.
Rogers initially was charged with one count of illegally possessing a firearm. He was arrested after FBI agents from the domestic terrorism squad said they found a cache of explosives and weapons in his parents’ mobile home in Montevideo.
“We never indicated there would be terrorism charges,” Jeanne Cooney, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s office, said Wednesday. “The (new) charges reflect the evidence we have at this time.”
Rogers’ attorney, Assistant Federal Defender Andrew Mohring, did not immediately return a call left after business hours Wednesday. Mohring said earlier in court that authorities have given the public some misinformation about his client.
Rogers’ father, Jeff Rogers, has said his son has done nothing wrong and is being targeted because he is outspoken about his beliefs.
Officials have not disclosed a motive or target in the alleged plot. Police say Buford Rogers has militia ties, and he has made anti-government comments on social media.
Montevideo, a city of about 5,000 people, is about 130 miles west of Minneapolis.
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