Russian teen charged with possessing weapon of mass destruction

Altoona police said Sunday that officers were investigating a reported marijuana-growing operation at Vladislav Miftakhov's Juniata apartment when they discovered a homemade bomb and bomb-making materials in a suitcase.Miftakhov, from Moscow, was arrested and charged with possessing a weapon of mass destruction, risking a catastrophe, possessing instruments of crime, prohibited offensive weapons, incendiary devices, recklessly endangering another person, and several drug-related charges.He remains in Blair County Prison in lieu of $500,000 bail, Blair County corrections officer James McMahon said.According to a criminal complaint, police found one pound of atomized magnesium and one pound of Chinese potassium perchlorate along with a package labeled potassium nitrate powder.In additional, they found fuses and several containers of compressed air.When asked what he was going to do with two devices that were found with exposed fuses, Miftakhov said 'he was going to blow things up,' the complaint alleges. He didn't, however, specify a target. According to CNN, the teen later told investigators he was experimenting with making 'flash powder' and only intended to detonate the devices in a field. He said then that he 'wasn't going to blow anything up.'He said he previously experimented with homemade bombs while living in California.His Facebook page lists California as his home and Moscow as his hometown. His parents live in California, an official said.The Pennsylvania State Police bomb squad 'safely deconstructed' the device, officials said.Miftakhov told police he purchased materials for the bomb on Amazon over the past few weeks, and assembled the explosives in his room.The Russian will next appear in court on February 5. He will be assigned a public defender, McMahon said.Altoona Mayor Matthew Pacifico confirmed Miftakjov is a freshman at Penn State University Altoona. He told Fox News the city had 'quite a scare.''This is something you hear about in big cities or movies, but not something you would think would happen in a place like Altoona,' he said.Andrew Leff, who lived in the same building as Miftakhov described the man to CNN affiliate WTAJ as 'the weirdest individual that I've ever met.' Leff told the Altoona Mirror that Miftakhov had recently set off three small homemade bombs outside the apartment, leaving small craters in the ground. He said that he warned the teen to get rid of the bomb-making materials. He called Miftakhov 'dumb' and 'crazy,' but not dangerous.Another roommate, Steven Taylor, said Miftakhov was quiet.'He barely talked,' he told the newspaper.The alleged bomb-making materials have been sent to the state police lab in Harrisburg and the ATF and FBI are helping with the investigation.In the search of the apartment, which Miftakhov has rented since August, police said they also found five young marijuana plants, a lighting setup that included aluminum foil and plant food.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az