Bomb Drawings Found At Maryland Fire Suspect's Home

Investigators found drawings of a pipe bomb, Molotov cocktails, a homemade gun and other incendiary devices at the home of the man they suspect was the ringleader of last month's fire at a Charles County housing development.
Jan. 19, 2005
4 min read
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GREENBELT, Md. (AP) -- Investigators found drawings of a pipe bomb, Molotov cocktails, a homemade gun and other incendiary devices at the home of the man they suspect was the ringleader of last month's fire at a Charles County housing development, according to federal court records.

Patrick Walsh also told investigators he sold the drug Ecstasy and bought two handguns from a friend last October, prosecutors state in the U.S. District Court filings. The records were filed last week in opposition to Walsh's motion that he be released on home detention.

Prosecutors have said Walsh had a ''fascination with fire.'' He allegedly planned the Dec. 6 fires at the Hunters Brooke development in Indian Head and recruited the five other men charged with the crime. He is believed to be the head of ''the Family,'' a tight knit group of men in their early twenties who had a similar interest in street racing.

Authorities have ascribed several motives for the fires, including revenge and a desire to gain notoriety for the Family. The plotters allegedly called the fires ''Operation Payback.''

Under questioning after his arrest, Walsh told investigators Operation Payback was his idea and that it was related to ''blowing up a vehicle.'' He said he was at a Wendy's restaurant parking lot in Waldorf last summer when two friends poured acetone on the pavement and lit it on fire. The friends included Michael Gilbert, also charged in the Hunters Brooke fires.

The drawings, copies of which were included in the filings, are crude sketches made in a spiral notebook. The include a ''bulb bomb'' made from a container that appears to be a light bulb and an ''aerosol bomb/fire starter.'' For the Molotov cocktail, the drawing includes proportions of gasoline and motor oil to be mixed in a glass jar with a piece of cloth as a wick.

On another page, there is a drawing of a homemade ''1 use shotgun,'' composed of a steel pipe, gunpowder and a shotgun shell.

Investigators allegedly found a copy of the ''Anarchist's Cookbook'' that was downloaded from the Internet. The 1970s era text includes instructions on how to make explosives such as thermite bombs, letter bombs and Molotov cocktails.

The filings also state he once worked as a pyro-technician at a Six Flags amusement park.

Prosecutors have said the fires were started by pouring an accelerant on the floors of the homes, most of which were under construction, and lighting them on fire. They have not alleged that any of the devices found in the notebook were used in the crime.

Walsh's attorney, William Purpura, said Walsh made the drawings four years ago when he was in 10th grade. The court records allege the drawings were recent, which Purpura denied.

''He obviously at that point had a limited interest in these types of sketches,'' Purpura said.

Purpura said he plans to argue at a hearing Friday that Walsh was not the instigator of the fires. He said search warrant affidavits show Aaron Speed and Jeremy Parady each accused the other of plotting the arsons but neither mentioned Walsh.

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