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Michigan man sentenced for traveling with explosive devices to Massachusetts

A 31-year-old man has been sentenced for traveling with several explosive devices from Michigan to Massachusetts, federal officials said on Friday.

A judge sentenced Luke Isaac Terpstra to three years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan. He pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device in April.

Between late summer and early fall of 2023, Terpestra built several improvised explosive devices, also known as IEDs, the attorney's office said. In September of that same year, he traveled from Grant, Michigan, to Salem, Massachusetts, with the devices, multiple firearms and ammunition.

One IED had coins attached to its side, while another had rifle ammunition attached. Both devices had a piece of cannon fuse on them, according to the attorney's office.

Terpstra said he built the IEDs because he wanted to destroy a Satanic Temple by setting it on fire, officials said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked with the Grant Police Department, Kent County Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police on the case. 

"The sentence in this case is significant and it reinforces that individuals who build bombs with the intent to injure innocent civilians and destroy property will be held accountable," U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said in a news release on Friday.

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