Lake County Man Faces Federal Charge for Manufacturing Explosive Devices

A man who allegedly manufactured explosive devices and kept them in the bedroom of his Lindenhurst home was ordered detained in federal custody Thursday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney Schenkier ordered Michael Suopys, 28, of the 800 block of Jefferson Drive in Lindenhurst, to be held without bond on a charge of knowingly possessing an unregistered destructive device, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. A detention hearing is scheduled for June 15.

A federal criminal complaint alleges Suopys built two pipe bombs by filling a metal pipe with Nitrocellulose and adding a wick. Suopys was also charged in Lake County Circuit Court with possessing bombs containing an explosive substance, which is a Class 3 felony. The state charge was dismissed Thursday morning.

The Lindenhurst Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to the 800 block of Jefferson Drive on May 22 to follow up on a tip. The tipster indicated Suopys could be conducting online purchases to construct a weapon, local prosecutors said. The FBI and Lindenhurst Police Department conducted a joint investigation and as a result of that investigation, they obtained a search warrant.

A search of his home turned up two suspected pipe bombs; lab apparatus; one steel pipe, which was empty; and two metal pipes, which contained cotton-like material consistent with Nitrocellulose, according to a Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office press release. Local authorities said Suopys wrote in a journal about how he had a desire to  kill several people and himself, according to the Lake County News-Sun.

>>> More on Patch: 'Sinister' Plans in Motion for Man with Bombs in His Bedroom: Prosecutor

“Thankfully, law enforcement at the federal, state and local level was able to identify and safely interrupt the threat described in the complaint,” said Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

The federal charge carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

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