Police: Fairfield Man Claims He Was Making Bomb For Rolling Stones Rocker
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Fairfield man charged with possessing explosives said he had detonation cords for rockets and the same type of chemicals used in the bombings of the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 and a federal office building in Oklahoma City in 1995, according to police.
According to an arrest warrant, Joseph C. Callahan, 69, also claimed to be making a bomb for Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards, the Connecticut Post reported.
Callahan was charged Monday with 112 counts of illegal possession of explosives, reckless endangerment and manufacture of bombs. He is free on bond and scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 16 in Bridgeport Superior Court.
His lawyer, Richard Meehan, said he had not seen the arrest report and would not comment on it.
"He is a delightful gentleman who never had any intention to make a bomb and never intended to hurt anybody,'' Meehan said.
Police said they visited Callahan's home twice on Oct. 1. Callahan's ex-wife, Mary, called police early that day, saying she had not spoken to him in more than a day and asking them to check on him.
They checked and everything seemed fine, the police report said.
Later that day, Callahan called, complaining that he thought someone had broken into his home and stole his prescription pills and a check.
Police determined that no burglary had occurred. But they saw a rifle case on the living room floor and found 142 guns in the home, according to the report. All were registered to Callahan.
Callahan said he played with explosives as a hobby and told officers he made homemade explosive devices by filling tubes with flash powder and attaching a fuse on his basement workbench. Police said they found several homemade explosive devices there and an additional 112 explosive devices in other areas of the house.
The bombs were described as sticks of explosives that would be detonated by a lit fuse and are larger than an M-80 firecracker but smaller than a stick of dynamite.
Callahan worked for years at DuPont and Remington and is fully cooperating with police, fire and hazmat teams, Meehan said.
"He's concerned about his neighbors and the community and the misperception that there's something unsafe that was going on in his home," Meehan told WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau.
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