Suspect Charged in Terrorism Plot Ordered Held Without Bail

A Massachusetts man was ordered held without bail until trial on Tuesday, one day after United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz announced his connection to a terrorism plot on behalf of ISIL.

Alexander Ciccolo, the son of a Boston police captain, allegedly plotted to detonate pressure-cooker bombs at an unknown college university, gun down others with automatic weapons and broadcast the executions live over the internet, according to a criminal complaint that was unsealed Monday.

Ciccolo, of Adams, appeared in U.S. District Court in Springfield for a detention hearing on charges of being a felon in possession of firearms on Tuesday afternoon.

Ciccolo’s attorney, David Hoose, argued because his client had no record of conviction he should be released to the custody of his mother and stepfather. The judge presiding over the hearing ruled otherwise.

“He was quite clear orally and online what he was going to use those guns for,” the judge said in response to the defense’s request.

On July 4, Ciccolo received four guns that he had ordered from a person who was cooperating with the Western Massachusetts Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to a release.

Ciccolo was arrested immediately after allegedly taking delivery of the guns, which included a Colt AR-15 .223 caliber rifle, a SigArms Model SG550-1, 556 caliber rifle, a Glock 17-9mm pistol, and a Glock 20-10 mm pistol. Ciccolo had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in jail and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms.

He said to be a supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the complaint.

Ciccolo was recorded talking about his plans to set off improvised explosive devices, such as pressure cookers filled with black powder, nails, ball bearings and glass — similar to those ignited during the Boston Marathon bombing — in places where large numbers of people congregate, like college cafeterias. While searching his home, agents found several partially constructed “Molotov cocktails,” according to the release.

Robert Ciccolo, of Needham, is a 27-year veteran of the Boston police force and the father of Alexander.