NYC man accused of hiding explosive devices on rooftops pleads not guilty
A New York City man accused of building explosive devices and then hiding them of rooftops around the city pleaded not guilty to federal charges Friday.
Michael Gann was arraigned after authorities charged him with allegedly making at least seven explosive devices with chemicals he ordered and instructions he found on the internet.
Investigators said Gann, 55, stored approximately five devices on rooftops of apartment buildings in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood and tossed one onto the Williamsburg Bridge subway tracks between May and June. The indictment revealed investigators also found 30 grams of explosive powder, which is more than 600 times the legal limit for consumer fireworks.
"Even a relatively small-looking device, in this case 600 times the explosive power of a firework, in close proximity of a subway car can be very damaging, even deadly," Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, said at the time.
Gann was charged with three federal counts, including attempted destruction of property by means of explosives. According to the indictment, he told law enforcement he was trying to make pyrotechnics and learned how to online.
Prosecutors said Gann set off an explosive on June 5 near the East River and the FDR Drive. The indictment said he told investigators he was frightened after that and started considering how to get rid of the devices, either by throwing them into the East River or handing them over to the FDNY.
He allegedly threw two devices into the river from the Williamsburg Bridge.
Gann's next court date is August 13. He has 30 prior arrests and three felony convictions.
