NYC couple arrested after explosive substance find

Updated at 12:37 p.m. ET

NEW YORK A Manhattan couple was facing weapons charges Monday after authorities said they found a substance used to make bombs and papers titled "The Terrorist Encyclopedia" in their Greenwich Village apartment.

Morgan Gliedman, 27, and her 31-year-old boyfriend, Aaron Greene, were arrested on weapons-possession charges Saturday after officers with a search warrant discovered a plastic container with 7 grams of HMTD, a highly explosive white powder used in bomb making, police and prosecutors said.

Also found in the living room were numerous written items containing instructions on the manufacture of explosive materials and bombs, including a collection of pages that had a cover page entitled "The Terrorist Encyclopedia," court papers said.

According to the court papers, chemical precursors to HMTD also were found in the living room.

The find prompted New York police to evacuate three buildings in Greenwich Village Saturday, CBS New York station WCBS-TV reports.

A police spokesman said the NYPD warrant squad went to the home Saturday morning to look for a woman and spotted the white substance in an ashtray, WCBS-TV reports. The substance was removed to a police firing range for analysis.

Police said investigators also found a shotgun and two magazine clips for handguns, WCBS-TV reports.

Greene was held without bail after he appeared in state court in Manhattan on Sunday. Gliedman, who is nine months pregnant, was awaiting an initial court appearance. It was not clear who will represent her in court.

"The whole situation's sad," said attorney Lisa Pelosi, who represented Greene. She declined further comment. He is due back in court Friday.

The New York Post reported in its Monday editions that Gliedman is the daughter of a prominent Manhattan doctor. It described her boyfriend as a Harvard graduate and an Occupy Wall Street activist.

The newspaper said police went to the apartment with a search warrant stemming from a credit card-theft case. It said weapons recovered included a flare launcher, a commercial replica of a grenade launcher, a 12-gauge shotgun, ammunition and nine high-capacity rifle magazines.

[fixento68]

If the clips were for the shotgun they may hold ten rounds, if not, where is the weapon of mass destruction for the massive high capacity magazines? Speaking of the far left, you have a mayor who controls the size of your drinks. Maybe he's down sizing due to his manhood insecurity.

[rwsmith29456]

Hey, how could they have explosives?? Explosives are BANNED and there are Federal regulations on purchasing them. Sound familiar???

[john92021]

I had to search what HMTD is and see if 7 grams was worth worrying about. Turns out it is used to detonate a larger bomb, OK something to worry about. What is more worrisome is that it is thermally unstable so keeping it in an ashtray is not a good idea.

[christopherbagley]

While what you have written is certainly true, I just wonder how those police officers determined that the white powder (7 Grams by the way is an infintesmal amount)was in fact HMTD and not -oh lets say 7 granuals of laundry soap. They also found a stack of papers with the words "Terrorist Encyclopedia" here is an overview of that particular publication.
(Encyclopedia of Terrorism
Product Details
Pub. Date: December 2002
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Sales Rank: 947,387
ISBN-13: 9780761924081
ISBN: 0761924086
Edition Description: Older Edition
Synopsis

"The most comprehensive and up-to-date work available on this subject...Essential for all academic and larger public libraries. "
—LIBRARY JOURNAL

The Encyclopedia of Terrorism presents authoritative coverage of what is currently one of the world's most important topics. With more than 300 articles, the Encyclopedia provides detailed discussions of the who, what, where, when, and why of terrorism. Up-to-date and timely, the articles cover such topics as Al-Qaeda, biological terrorism, extremism, Saddam Hussein, jihad, Zacarias Moussaoui, and suicide bombers. Its concise, readable format and detailed chronology, photographs, maps, and charts make this an essential reference.


They also went into the apartment on a "Credit card" warrant. Leaves me wondering what ever happened with that. Or perhaps the "credit card" warrant was the tool used to "Legaly" get in and search the home of an Occupy Wall Street Activist. By the way shot guns don't have clips, they have stated that pistol magazines were found, then this was later reported as High capacity rifle magazines. Fear mongering propoganda methinks. All I am trying to say is question authority - don't take what they hand out as gospel, research, seek the truth, knowledge is our only defense against tyranny.

[Topkitty27]

The cancer that IS the current Republican Party has driven many sane people over the edge. Conservative Christians have destroyed the Country in the name of their Sky God.
In Texas it won't be long before the Bible is considered a textbook in every school and they will get search warrants if your not at church on Sunday.
The GOP Taliban will cause the collapse of America if can't get rid of the Boehners,the McConnels, and the Lindsey Grahams in the Republican Party.

[john92021]

quite mixing your meds with new years libation.

[alphaa10000]

Actually, Lindsey Graham (R, SC) is not a GOP Tea Party extremist, only a mildly tone-deaf member of that party. Graham's pronouncements on immigration reform and taxation have shown some flexibility, and place him in the re-emerging moderate center of the GOP.

Along with McCain, Graham has chosen stable, long term positions (from his view) in the great civil war now in progress among the GOP faithful. The probable result is the Tea Party-- funded and directed by outside GOP patronage-- will be anathematized by the GOP majority, and moderates will retain control.

Graham is acutely aware his shrinking circle of Southern states Archie Bunkers cannot keep the GOP in office, and he, along with other Republicans, urges the RNC to reconsider its agenda and demographic appeal.

[BigWhy]

Keep ducking reality! Don't care what wing they fly with the NYPD stopped a shooting or bombing before it happened! Thanks NYPD!

[cjb122]

Hmmmmmm.....people with dangerous explosives and a terrorist manual.

Oh wait. Let's concentrate on the shotgun and two magazine clips. Those need to be banned.

[drgrussing]

Let's see, the first several paragraphs talk about explosive materials and terrorist manuals and a shotgun is not mentioned until the seventh paragraph, and you think this article is concentrating on shotguns and magazines? Maybe you need to read the whole article rather than just searching for keywords.

[hypnotoad72]

drgrussing -

Anyone can miss cues in articles. I'm hardly an exception to that...

Maybe the need is to regulate what materials get sold.

Or if all the constitutionalists whine and rant, either remind them of the very words "well-regulated" (since those words are present in the second amendment), or let them have their anarchy but remind them after they get their way what happens... unless they can prove a police state is coming while turning a blind eye to their preferred political party and its contributing to a police state?

Dunno, don't care at this point.