Two charged with having explosives
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two men were charged Thursday with possessing explosives after the van they were in was searched in Philadelphia as officials investigated bombings of cash machines across the city in recent days, the state attorney general announced.
Philadelphia police saw a group of 10 to 15 vehicles in a hotel parking lot at the edge of the city Wednesday and followed them as they left once police arrived, the office of Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said in a news release. The city was under a curfew at the time because of unrest following the shooting death by police of Walter Wallace Jr.
The convoy tried to ram a parking lot barricade, and police followed the vehicles on an interstate highway and into the downtown area, the release said.
The van was pulled over and searched by police and agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Van driver Brian Larue and passenger Eric Murray were each charged with possession of weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy and risking a catastrophe, along with several misdemeanor charges, the attorney general’s office said.