Store clerk foiled ex-Navy SEAL's explosives plot targeting police at No Kings protest, feds say

A erstwhile U.S. Navy SEAL was convicted successful a foiled crippled to onslaught instrumentality enforcement officers with explosives during a "No Kings" protestation successful California aft a store clerk's extremity led national investigators to him.

Gregory Vandenberg, 49, was recovered blameworthy aft a five-day national proceedings of proscription of explosives with intent to kill, injure oregon intimidate and attempted proscription of prohibited fireworks into California, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico.

Jurors deliberated for astir 3 hours earlier returning the blameworthy verdict.

Prosecutors said Vandenberg was driving from El Paso, Texas, to San Diego up of the June 14, 2025, demonstrations erstwhile helium stopped astatine a question halfway adjacent Lordsburg, New Mexico, and purchased six mortar-style fireworks and 72 M-150 firecrackers.

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Surveillance video shows Gregory Vandenberg speaking with a store worker portion purchasing fireworks successful New Mexico. Employees aboriginal contacted instrumentality enforcement aft helium discussed attacking officers astatine California's No Kings protests, national authorities said. (United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico)

While making the purchase, Vandenberg told a store clerk helium intended to propulsion the explosives astatine instrumentality enforcement officers during the protests, national authorities said.

He repeatedly asked astir the magnitude of gunpowder successful the fireworks, whether taping aggregate mortars unneurotic would summation their explosive unit and said helium was funny lone successful their quality to injure officers, prosecutors said.

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Gregory Vandenberg wears a garment speechmaking "AMALEK" portion purchasing fireworks astatine a New Mexico question halfway connected June 12, 2025. (United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico)

Vandenberg besides encouraged the clerk to be the protests and manus retired fireworks to others, telling the worker helium would not get wounded due to the fact that of his subject experience, according to proceedings testimony.

The speech alarmed employees capable that they wrote down Vandenberg's licence sheet and contacted instrumentality enforcement earlier helium reached California.

Federal agents tracked Vandenberg to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base successful Tucson, Arizona, wherever helium was arrested the pursuing greeting portion sleeping wrong his vehicle.

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Prosecutors said helium falsely claimed helium was traveling for enactment contempt being unemployed and aboriginal told investigators helium was visiting friends successful Phoenix.

A hunt of Vandenberg's conveyance uncovered the fireworks on with covering displaying antisemitic, anti-Israel and extremist imagery, according to prosecutors.

Among the items recovered were shirts bearing an Al-Qaeda flag, a garment calling for the demolition of Judea, a chapeau featuring the Al-Qaeda emblem and apparel displaying a saltation of the Black Sun, a awesome associated with neo-Nazi ideology.

Federal prosecutors said investigators recovered an Al-Qaeda emblem chapeau from Gregory Vandenberg's conveyance aft his apprehension en way to California's No Kings protests. (United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico)

Jurors were besides shown photographs of Vandenberg wearing a custom-made T-shirt bearing the connection "AMALEK" portion wrong the question center. Prosecutors said Vandenberg told investigators the connection meant "destroyer of Jews."

Investigators besides discovered Vandenberg's cellphone location surface displayed a Taliban flag. A forensic reappraisal of the telephone uncovered what prosecutors described arsenic convulsive extremist content, including antisemitic, anti-Israel and anti-U.S. material, arsenic good arsenic messages discussing the upcoming protests.

Federal investigators recovered covering bearing extremist and antisemitic imagery from Gregory Vandenberg's vehicle, according to tribunal records. (United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico)

According to prosecutors, those messages suggested Vandenberg believed the U.S. government, including President Donald Trump, was controlled by Israel and Jewish people, grounds they argued helped found his motive for targeting instrumentality enforcement officers.

"People successful this state are escaped to clasp their ain beliefs and to explicit them peacefully," Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said successful a statement. "What they are not escaped to bash is usage explosives to endanger oregon terrorize others."

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Ellison added that Vandenberg "intended to crook explosives into a instrumentality of intimidation," and said the verdict "sends the connection that attempts to substitute unit for expressing one's sentiment has nary spot successful our communities and volition beryllium met with national consequences."

Vandenberg was aboriginal sentenced to 16 months successful national prison, wherever helium remains successful custody. Upon his release, helium volition service 1 twelvemonth of supervised release.