Before reading through the article, it intially sounded, to me, as if this were some type of meth lab setup. Until more is, if possible, told about the 'materials' in question it's not going to be easy to determine whether these are chems that can be purchased readily and combined to create disaster or they're actually illegal or intended, made to use weaponry.

Either way, this probably isn't the end of the story....

Judging by the carelessness with which this guy stored the chemicals, I can only assume he handled them in the same matter (no nitrile gloves, respiratory protection, etc.)

Having dealt with some related compounds at Superfund sites, I can say it's a safe bet he'll be dead in a couple years from cancer. Keep him locked up until then, don't waste the millions on a drawn out trial.

I am glad they got this guy. I he had of had his sensibilities intact he could have done an incredible amount of damage. Take your pick. The courthouse? A bank? The airport? A jetliner? Or all four? A gardener stepped on something that blew up? The house was rented, to the owners paid for a gardner to mow the lawn or turn on the sprinklers?

God help us when the ones that would blow us up in the name of some perverted, deluded jihad that has NOTHING TO DO with God, are no longer stupid and bumbling and inept.

Levi777, no kidding!!! Prob should start a fund for the gardner cuz he probably sustained a lot of injuries and can't get back to work, if ever. That man might have been wounded horribly, but he saved countless lives. God bless you gardner, God bless you!!!

ModerationInAllThings this is a follow up story to this

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-24/justice/california.homemade.explosives_1_gas-explosion-cache-devastating-car-bomb?_s=PM:CRIME

Police: Record cache of homemade explosives found in San Diego County

There have been a number of home bomb factories uncovered over the years in Southern California - ranging from pipe bombs made for gangbangers to militia-types planning attacks on government buildings. While this one seems the strangest and largest, one that was truly bizarre was uncovered during a murder investigation in about 1998 or 1999 in Orange County.

A doctor and his partner, involved in a fued over their business, determined to kill each other. One hired a hitman, the other just went over to the office and shot the partner. Then the hitman killed the survivor. Police, investigating this bizarre crime, turned up many, many strange angles, including ties to an underground S&M club.

The doctorhad been a consultant to the CIA. When his home was checked by investigators, they were terrified to discover a huge bomb shelter cache of military weapons, including grenades, mortars and rocket launchers. There were also numerous high-powered military automatic weapons and of course the usual assortment of assault rifles.

They cleared out the neighborhood, however, when they discovered numerous home-made bombs.

That particular story had all the makings of one terrific "true crime" tale. But it absolutely vanished from the newspapers after three days. Not a peep about it since.

Let's hope that the fumes and ash from this event do not leave dangerous pollutants in the area. Will anyone ever know the story behind this nutjob?

Oh, and a PS to Levi77 - just where do you come up with any connection to Jihadists or religion in this tale? Jeez, folks, mad scientist Muslims aren't behind EVERY case like this!

Guess what song they were playing on the loudspeakers? I'll give you a hint: Talking Heads!

John A. rats, you caught me. Darn it! I try so hard not to do that! I was pressured and had to get going , so I typed it on the fly. You are so right. Maybe the man was Muslim and it was a jihad thing, but that's a conclusion drawn on a stereotype, and not the article. My bad. Thanks for catching that!

@LivetoRide...isn't that Obama's theme song?

We have a winner, folks!

Ummm did you stop and think that there might not have been an attic, never mind the fact that you show a glaring lack of knowledge regarding home construction in general. So long as they miss the joists, and just open on the holes in the shingles and the plywood, there is zero risk of hitting anything, and depend on how the roofing area was insulated, if it was insulated all together, said insulation would either dampen or negate all together any for of vibrations that would result from cutting holes in the roof

What's that noise? Oh, you're just talking out of your ass again. Might wanna stuff a sock in it to keep it quiet.

i know construction, seriously, and it would be impossible to cut thru the shingles and remove shingles and sheeting without dropping debris or something onto the insulation, and or anything placed on it...and if you look at the pictures you can see they did not 'cut' thru the roof, the chopped, which makes it worst.

The story is rife with BS. they could clean out the house. they could send it robots, or do they think, ASSUME that the floor is booby trapped and other hazards? or are they concerned that they may hit something accidently while tip toeing around.

they could have remediated the house with less fan fair then 'BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE'

creating a spectacle is self serving... dealing with a hazard is a little less hype.

AGAIN, I HOPE THE HOMEOWNER GETS REIMBURSED FULLY, not a pro-rated, current value, due to economy something or other...

The home is so cluttered with unstable chemicals that even bomb-disposing robots couldn't be used to enter it.

I did look at the pictures and I would defiantly have to agree that the home was way to cluttered. To move around safely would have been next to impossible and the risk was WAY to great to justify it.

If you think that the state of CA is ready to just burn down a house for the heck of it, you don't know much about the state. What exactly is self-serving about 'creating a spectacle' in this instance? They took the necessary precautions, they neatly opened a few holes in the roof (not just willy nilly chopped through it like you make it sound) and constructed a barrier to protect the surrounding houses.

if it was unsafe, then how did the last person in the house get out? how did they get pictures?

they can walk around in meth labs, they can walk around in ammonia plants, they can walk on the moon. they certainly could have walked around that house... start clearing from the front door, and work your way to the back of the house.

the reasoning to highlight this 'project' is to make everyone afraid that it will happen again, and if it does, this is the only way to deal with it, and as such it needs to be funded sufficiently to repeat the same tactic/method as this time...

we are in a crises regarding our financial status... we dont have the money to do things the way we would like...we have a choice to either fully fund the highest priority items and forego the lower priority issues/events.

or

we can partially fund all programs/activities equally or on a pro-rata basis.

this baiscally means we can not keep on KEEPIN on... we need to make serious hard choices... and if it means that we cant wear seat belts and be somewhat 'exposed' in our safety, than that is what it means...

we need to cut expenses/ and to cut our expectation... in every aspect of our lives/world

if it was unsafe, then how did the last person in the house get out? how did they get pictures?

Walking around to take pictures, and sending more then one person in to actually move things are very different. If my room is a mess I can walk around with relative ease, but you get more then one person, each with a purpose of moving things safely, the chances of a really big OOPS are going to increase. It's difficult to tell under that mountain of trash, what is being supported by what, even a small mistake could have heavy consequences and with a neighborhood to worry about that's not a mistake anyone is willing to make.

we are in a crises regarding our financial status... we dont have the money to do things the way we would like...we have a choice to either fully fund the highest priority items and forego the lower priority issues/events.

Absolutely we are in a crisis. Have you thought about how much it would cost to safely store all that crap? To have the fire dept on standby for the DAYS it would take to safely remove all that? For all the manpower as well? And if, heaven forbid, something HAD happened in the days it would have taken to remove all that, the cost of lawsuits, the cost of medical care to those that could have been hurt that lived nearby? Or are you suggesting that the houses nearby be evacuated during the move? That would have added the expense too since it would take longer then the what...6? hour time period it took to just burn it down.

You don't have to highlight any project to make someone afraid of it. People already are. What is being highlighted isn't to make people afraid, but to make them aware and report a potential problem.

The simple fact of the matter is, it was cheaper and above all, SAFER to burn the house down. The prosecutor didn't want to until all evidence was collected but because it was such a hazard to a large majority, even IF they didn't want to, they had to.

Jumptoconclusions, I doubt that the actual homeowner will get reimbursed for the house. Homeowners insurance does not (and should not) cover this type of scenario.

The county took care of a public nuisance.

exactly, typcial crimanal or civil unrest or acts of war or terrorism is covered in most insurance policies...

so the homeowner is screwed while we are reminded that we need the govt to over react...

and for the record i necer suggested to store the materials.. remove and destroy them, just do it in a bomb proof disposal unit/container

Jumpin~

I know you never said store, but where do you think they would put them all while they wait to destroy it? With all of those materials, and the quantity they won't/can't 'just do it in a bomb proof disposal container', there was too much for any one or multiple container to do it at one time, so while some materials are waiting to be disposed of properly it must be stored. I thought that would be a given.

exactly, typcial crimanal or civil unrest or acts of war or terrorism is covered in most insurance policies...

I'm not entirely sure where you get that bit of information, while it's been a while since I've worked in the homeowners insurance division, I do know there was no coverage for it. In fact after a small bit of research it seems virtually every homeowners insurance policy carries an "act of war" exclusion. So it will really depend on what the insurance company finds, however it would be my best guess that the homeowner did not fulfill his part of the obligation of checking up on his house that his tenant owned. This stuff didn't just appear overnight. Again, policies change all of the time so I may be wrong about it, but in my experience, the homeowner may not get paid.

sorry i meant to say that those ACTS of war and terrorism are NOT covered....

this leaves the homeowner at a loss...

as for storage... the items can be piled, placed into a disposal device/container, and destroyed... , then pile more stuff into it and destroy, and pile more stuff into it and destroy, etc...

OR...

They could NOT risk the lives of people needlessly and do what they did.

Seems to have worked pretty well, huh?

ends never justify means.. and if they did, well, you know what would happen

as for needlessly risking, that is arbitrary as there was risk to neighboring homes, and to the environment by proceeding the way they did..

I look forward to the 'safety' workers near the home who come up with mysterious illnesses caused by the fumes of the controlled burn...

ultimately there is no safe method and all have risks associated, and in this case they manipulated the public by at least showing a 'radical' course or action becuase of this instance so in effect creating more fear... and justifying their 'worth'/cost... and probably if there was risk, it would be mitigated with MORE MONEY... and more resources..

and hopefully you understand that there isnt more resources or more money... right? we are in a deficit 'era'; we spend more then we earn as a govt... we have no plan to repay the money we are borrowing..

so, until such time as there is sufficient money/funding, we need to include the follwoing train of thought into every action or planned action... HOW DO WE PAY FOR IT...

If you want to be more secure, and to do things to the TEE with regards to risk, then follow up with this is how we will pay for it...

until that time, we need to do things CHEAPLY, even if it means a little higher risk, or whatever..

instead of sending 10 cops, send 5, instead of 5 fire trucks send 2...

Instead of tackling a suspect with a handful of cops, send just one... if the bad guy gets a way, or injures a cop, or damages private or public property, indicate that the best was done with the resources available...

If cops and firemen dont like that they are exposed because of funding or money issues, they should quit, and find something they feel better at... knowing that their dream or first choice is feasible...

I see tough years ahead for this govt and it's people... not sure when but it will happen, (unless there is some higher power that will forgive our debts?)

get the point!

I think attempted murder for the gardner should be enough. Funny comment though.

Funny thing is, he's publicly apologized for his actions and putting his neighbors in jeopardy...... and then he pled not guilty.

I completely agree I want to know how they got the ok to burn this house wich

#1 did not belong to the suspect.

#2 said suspect still has not been found guilty as far as I know.

So then how is it ok to burn this house? Why is noone else asking the most obvious questions?

The homeowner should have kept tabs on the renters.

You cannot leave a house loaded to the hilt with explosive chemicals and detonators untouched for the time it takes for a trial. It is too dangerous, the chemicals too unstable, the home too cluttered, for the bomb squad to even begin the process of removing all this crap.

If they had instead decided to guard the home until the trial was over, you would probably be the first to complain of the waste of money that is, and why can't they just burn it instead.

Sometimes the obvious questions are not asked because the answers are obvious.

If I was the owner I would have given my permission with out a second thought. Explosives are not something you want to mess with.

#1 did not belong to the suspect.

#2 said suspect still has not been found guilty as far as I know.

#1 - how do you know they didn't get the home owners permission..actually they don't need it as it is a threat to the neighborhood

#2 do you think they leave live bombs engaged unexploded untill AFTER the trial...they don't need the house for evidence...ever heard of film and photos?

#3 you’ll have to come up with something better then this to make the cops into the bad guys

Sickandtired I dont have to "make the cops into bad guys" They are doing just fine on their own.

cops are the worst part of our society.. they cause just as much as they 'fix'

absolute power corrupts absolutely...

They do plan to remove at least the top few feet of soil from the property.

WTH???

The BP approach screw it up 20 times before you figure it out.

Hotly is in fact a word meaning: in a hot manner

I've just never heard that word before.

Well, there are more elves out and about this time of year.

Sounds like just the sort of thing a disgruntled, out-of-work elf might get involved with...

And they usually do try and pin it on some geeky white guy...

There is a huge problem when you hear "out of work" software engineer.

That means - crazy, criminal background, or some other problem. If you are in IT and can't find a job......well figure it out.

Bomb-faries, not bomb-elves.

No, these guys were pretty butch...

Just eating?

If that were the case, they might have just watched him for a while until he did...

Most likely not covered. Most policies exclude acts of terrorism, heh, as well as acts ofGod. (Never thought that I could relate the two as being equal, together)

Sounds like the premise for a new "mayhem" commercial...

("... think your discount homeowners insurance covers this?")

Defiantly not covered. I worked in home insurance for a good long while, lol. And since the odds are fairly high he's going to jail, I don't think it'll matter.

I wonder if this will be covered under the homeowners insurance.

There's probably a pre-existing stupidity clause. Insurance companies always cover their ass.

"Stupid clause"?

Why would/should an insurance company cover a home for being burned by the police because the occupant was building bombs in the living room????

The house was rented so the landlord is taking the loss. I'd really love to know what the guy was planning to do with all that stuff. I wonder if he will ever talk about it.

Actually the Stupidity prize goes to all you whom believe it was perfectly reasonable and acceptable to burn down a house the didnt belong to a person who still hasn't been convicted of a crime. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

Sure, sounds like a plan.

Then you can go to prison just like this guy...

What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

It doesn't matter if this guy's found "guilty" of anything or not.

The HOUSE is "guilty" of being saturated with explosives and dangerous chemicals and needs to be disposed of.

LOL! I second his co-prize

Really? you are so ignorant to believe a house packed with explosives so dangerous it could take out a city block wouldnt destroy that neighborhood when set on fire? This really is like talking to a wall.

Growing up in New Jersey, it was considered playing in the yard when we did it.

Same here. I grew up in Montana and what is considered bomb making today is how we celebrated fourth of july. See who can make the biggest boom. No one got hurt and no one ever did anything immoral or wrong when conducting these activities but now if you have a can of powder and a piece of pvc in your garage your a homegrown terrorist with no rights and no constitutional recourse I m disgusted by this country and its B.S. fear mongering and exploitation of its own people. I wish I could resurect George Washington and the rest of our founding fathers for a march on washington Swords drawn and ready to defend our constitution at any cost.

Scary thought isn't it foreigner. I buy stuff that could be used in wrong ways all the time for my art. The truth is, the kid next door probably is making bombs, probably not the way this guy was, but.....

i think these chemicals had a little more punch then the "bombs" you made for the 4th...like enough punch to bring down an airplane or a skyscraper to be precise

actually i think you may be in the running for 3rd place...:)

Skeeter. Too funny! I just got iced tea up my nose!

Yeah, sounds like this guy was just some "home hobbyist" who likes to dress up in disguises and make fragmentation grenades for "prospecting". They are probably overreacting. He'll be released in no time at all.

Maybe one of you guys can rent him a room in your house once he's declared "innocent".

(/sarcasm)

You are absolutely right!
As dirty as they get! Crooked and DANGEROUS!

See "Office Space"

Lol, nice Thantos! way to lighten the mood.

because the only way to be an unemployed software engineer is by being crazy or stupid

How come these angry types are more often then not, unemployed software engineers?

Unemployed software engineers were former post office employees.

Unemployed software engineers were former post office employees.

This comment seems superfluous. What has it contributed to the Vine community?

A pilot furious with the Internal Revenue Service crashed his small plane into an Austin, Texas. The FBI identified the pilot as Joseph Stack, a 53-year-old unemployed software engineer.

Pocket Protectors please!!!

10k says 80% of the populous fits that description except maybe the right wing part.

$10k says this guy is a muslim extremist

Einstein wanna be. Harmless individual who worked his tail off his whole life. The gov't took everything he worked for then turn around and tell the people the guy was a madman out to get Americans. The gov't and the unions who control the gov't are the ones to watch out for.

And what was this guys religion?

W.A.S.P.

I heard there were also 1,000's and 1,000's of Lipton Tea Bags stapled all over the place with a Palinista shrine to Miss Quitty Pants.

who f-ing cares what his religion was. This country was founded on several principles of freedom and freedom of religion was one of them. If you cant handle that you need to re-examine your Ideals or leave the country if you cant handle a little bit of tolerance for another religion other than your own. Not only do we have freedom of religion but we have the freedom to not believe in religion as well and believe me there is alot less bull@!$%# if you dont.

If he was a Muslim, there would be plenty of Tea Baggerz and Glen BECKerheads especially who would care.

Agree with guito7399 big time. Freedom is what it's all about in the United States.

you do not have the freedom to blow people up

Duh...

That's why this guy is going to prison...

Stick to using your mouth for stuffing food into your body... Using it to try and make sense isn't working.

He's talking about freedom of religion. Reading isn't required in school these days? Who cares what somebodies religion is. You know, except maybe people who are shunned historically by all of them.

He got a paycheck courtesy of the FBI. The funny thing is the gardener was the real culprit came straight outta mexico and didnt even stop at the check point. He only snitched cause he was feeling the heat on himself.

Are you kidding? The aliens have more rights and freedom then U.S citizens.

Ahah, they're covering up to tunnel exit. That's why they destroyed the house.

LOLTMAFO