Sebastian Gregerson, a 29-year-old resident of Detroit, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for attempting to purchase illegal arms from an undercover officer posing as a weapons dealer. But that, it seems, is only the beginning of Gregerson’s troubles.
When the FBI raided Gregorsen’s home recently, aside from the large quantity of guns and other survivalist gear, they discovered CD’s labelled “Anwar al-Awlaki.” For those of you who may be unfamiliar with that name, it is none other than the al-Qaida recruiter who met with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, commonly called the “underwear bomber” before his thwarted 2009 Christmas Day attack on an airplane travelling from Amsterdam to Detroit.
He has since been been indicted on two felony count
Gregerson, who changed his name after high school to Abdurrahman Bin Mikaayl, came under the scrutiny of federal law enforcement when an anonymous tip reported that he possessed grenades and bazookas. An investigation was launched in Michigan which lasted 16 months before Gregerson finally purchased five illegal fragmentation grenades from an undercover agent. During the course of the investigation, investigators say Gregerson amassed a considerable stockpile of weapons, and discussed an unspecified attack on US soil.
When officers searched his home, they removed a substantial number of items including several laptops and phones, a tablet, a hard drive, and several floppy disks and a thumb drive which were located inside an envelope labelled “Islamic Secret of Baltimore.” In addition, they also seized numerous weapons, including knives, machetes, a bow, tactical gear, and a wide array of guns, most of them Glocks or rifles.
Officers also searched Gregerson’s car and found the five grenades that he had purchased along with several smoke grenades, pistols, a two-way radio, ammunition, and a Michigan concealed pistol license. All of these items were seized.
Gregerson was arrested and has since been been indicted on two felony counts, namely Possessing an Unregistered Destructive Device, and Receiving Explosive Materials Without a Permit. The Assistant United States Attorney has labelled him a danger to society but according to his attorney, he is a harmless outdoor enthusiast and dedicated survivalist who has no criminal record and has done nothing wrong.
The judge however, preferred the federal prosecution’s perspective and Gregerson was denied bail and is being held until his trial. If convicted, he is facing 10 years in a federal prison. Although Gregerson has not been charged with any terror-related crimes, the prosecution has filed a sealed document that Gregerson’s attorney describes as going “way beyond” allegations of receiving explosives and buying illegal grenades. For now, however, you will have to wait and see how this case develops.