Robert F. Weiler, Jr., 25, of Forestville, had an initial appearance Monday in U.S. District Court on charges of possessing and making an unregistered destructive device, illegally possessing a firearm, and possessing a stolen firearm.
According to the indictment filed, Weiler stole money from his parents and told associates that he had purchased a firearm and constructed a bomb which he planned to use in an attack on an abortion clinic.
During the course of the investigation Weiler contacted law enforcement agents and advised that he was at a rest stop in Western Maryland and wanted to surrender himself. He further advised that he had a gun.
On June 7, Weiler was arrested by members of the Maryland State Police, and he later gave a taped confession, stating that he planed to blow up an abortion clinic in Greenbelt, and use the stolen gun to shoot doctors.
On the morning of June 8, the bomb was located in the closet of a home in Riverdale, Maryland where Weiler confessed to hiding it and it was rendered safe by the bomb squad of P.G. County Police and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
The maximum penalty for each of the counts is 10 years incarceration. The counts relating to the destructive device carry a fine of $10,000 and the gun counts carry a fine of $250,000.
“The outstanding investigative work in this case by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Maryland State Police and the Prince George’s County Police may have averted a tragedy. This case reminds us how important it is for citizens to contact the police to report any suspicious conduct, said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.
“This is another example of the superb police work that occurs when we work together to protect the public from violent crime. We also want to recognize that it took a lot of courage to make the notification to police that helped avert this possible tragedy from occurring, said ATF Special Agent Gregory K. Gant.