Paul Rosenfeld Planned To Detonate 200 Pound Bomb At DC Mall To Promote “Sortition”

TAPPAN, NY. (THECOUNT) — In a series of letters and text messages, Paul Rosenfeld, the man accused in a plot to detonate a 200 pound explosive device, described committing the act as a way to bring attention to a political ideology called “sortition,” according to the news release.

Law enforcement agents found the massive explosive device in Rosenfeld’s basement Tuesday, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. He planned to detonate it at DC’s National Mall on Election Day.

‘Sortition’ is the practice where a group of individuals randomly draw straws in order to select a candidate, also described as a “theory that advocates the random selection of government officials.”

Rosenfeld was pulled over while driving, and in an interview with law enforcement agents, he admitted to purchasing black powder online, transporting it to his house in New York from New Jersey and constructing an explosive device in his basement, the news release said. He also said he has previously built smaller explosives to test the devices, according to the release. source

The explosive device was removed by FBI bomb technicians, and law enforcement also found a system built to trigger explosions in his home, the news release said.

Rosenfeld has been charged with one count of unlawfully manufacturing a destructive device and one count of interstate transportation and receipt of an explosive. Each charge has a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.