New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday that authorities have “likely saved many, many lives” by foiling a bomb-making plot that began in a Harlem school. Two 27-year-old twin brothers, Christian and Tyler Toro of the Bronx, have been charged in a federal court after a raid on their apartment revealed over 32 pounds of explosive ingredients. The details of the plot are truly unexpected, however. Christian Toro, a teacher, allegedly paid students $50 per hour “to break apart fireworks to extract the explosive powder.”
CBS News reports that the brothers also kept bomb-making instructions on a laptop that was examined by a school technician, who was disturbed by what he found. Yet although law enforcement hasn’t revealed a specific target or motive for the plan, there was enough evidence for federal charges. The New York Times reveals the timeline for how the plot was uncovered. On Dec. 4, a bomb threat was made to the school where Christian taught. This prompted an investigation, which focused on the brothers after Christian resigned on Jan. 9 and turned in the laptop that held the plans. Then matters rapidly accelerated and included rape charges:
On Jan. 31, the police arrested Christian Toro and charged him with raping a victim younger than 17. A law enforcement official said that the alleged victim was a student at the school where he worked. “That was something that developed as a result of the investigation of the bomb scare to the school,” according to Mr. Miller. Mr. Toro was released on bail two days later, according to city records.
On Feb. 8, the F.B.I. and police officers interviewed the Toro brothers in their apartment, and Christian Toro told agents that he had come across the explosives book while doing research about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and had not meant to download it onto his computer, according to the complaint. He said that he had never built a bomb, the complaint said.
Valentine’s Day saw many students sitting for law enforcement interviews, and the resulting raid quickly uncovered a closet full of materials, including pounds of iron oxide, potassium nitrate, aluminum powder, firecrackers, and shrapnel materials. Obviously, these guys weren’t paying students to help them with an art project, which was further evident by a diary referring to “Operation Flash” and a scrawling that read, “Under the full moon the small ones will know terror.”
Authorities haven’t commented upon whether these brothers have known ties to any terror organizations, and during a press conference, Mayor de Blasio assured reporters that “there is no additional, imminent threat directed at New York City at this time.”
(Via New York Times & CBS News)