DETROIT — Roger Stockham, who was arrested near the Islamic
Center of America in Dearborn, said in court that he didn’t intend to use the
powerful fireworks he had on him to attack the mosque or worshipers according
to reports. Stockham, a Vietnam veteran who was described as being mentally ill
by an attorney who defended him in a previous case, says the charges against
him are “absurd.”
He was stopped while wearing a ski mask with M-80 fireworks
in his car, which are illegal in the state of Michigan. He had told local J.S.
Field’s bar/restaurant operations manager Joe Nahhas that there was going to be
a “big explosion” that night, saying “here, there, the
mosque,” when asked about where that night.
Stockham said he meant to spray-paint an anti-Iraq war
message on the ICA the day of his arrest.
Matthew Evans, his defense attorney, requested the fireworks
police say they found in his car as part of the preliminary examination but the
request was rejected by Khalid Najar, the assistant prosecutor. Stockham is
facing charges of making a false report or threat of terrorism and possessing
explosives with unlawful intent; he has pleaded not guilty to the former
charge.
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