Feds charge man for buying fireworks in NM, claiming he was going to use them against police in LA

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A Texas man is facing federal charges after allegedly purchasing fireworks in New Mexico and expressing plans to use them to harm law enforcement officers and government officials during protests in California, according to the Department of Justice.

“Threats like these strike at the heart of law and order — we will not hesitate to bring federal charges against anyone who seeks to harm law enforcement or endanger the safety of our communities,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated in part in a news release.

The feds said Grzegorz Vandenberg, 48, visited a travel center in Lordsburg to purchase the fireworks on June 12, 2025. While there, Vandenberg reportedly asked the cashier about the biggest fireworks that he could buy and the ones that could cause harm, according to court documents.

Vandenberg told store employees that he was a prior special forces military and claimed he could make pipe bombs. He then reportedly told employees that he was traveling to Los Angeles for the “riots” with the intent to kill law enforcement officers or government officials, court documents stated.

Store staff reported that Vandenberg invited an employee to join him and his platoon in California and also claimed to have mortar explosives in his possession and reiterated his plan to use them to kill officers, per court documents.

Officials said Vandenberg purchased six mortars, each containing 60 grams of gunpowder, and 36 large fireworks before leaving the store in a vehicle with Montana license plates, heading west on Interstate 10.

Before he could leave, the cashier wrote down the vehicle’s license plate number, officials said.

“Our message is clear: If you come after law enforcement officers, the FBI will spare no effort to find you and bring you to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel in the news release. “This defendant allegedly intended to use explosives to attack police officers currently conducting law enforcement operations in Los Angeles and – with the help of a store cashier who took down his license plate information – we were able to put a stop to that plan. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to serve the American people and the FBI will always do our part to protect them.”

Vandenberg is charged with transporting explosives in interstate commerce with the knowledge and intent that they would be used to kill, injure, or intimidate individuals.

The DOJ said Vandenberg will remain in custody on conditions of release pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Vandenberg faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Tucson Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Phoenix Field Office, Tucson Police Department, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and Homeland Security Investigations El Paso.

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