Police say the man charged with possessing explosive powder in the Greenwich Village apartment he shared with his girlfriend had plans to "blow up" the Washington Arch. NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne told the Times' police bureau chief that witnesses saw 31-year-old Aaron Greene sprinkling white powder—which they believe to be the explosive HMTD—in Washington Square Park then igniting it by striking it with a rock. Authorities also searched the residence of Greene's childhood friend, Daniel Whitaker, in Orangeburg, and found 21 guns, brass knuckles, stun guns, and a switchblade, as well as undated letters they believe to be written by Greene that have the word "kill" written repeatedly, as well as the phrase "kill them all" with the SS lightning-bolt symbol.
A spokesman for the Rockland County Sheriff's Office told the Journal News that "no illegal firearms" were found in Whitaker's apartment. "There was no weapon found that required a permit. Each gun will be checked out during the course of the investigation." Whitaker, 33, who works as a corrections officer in the county, said, "They searched my house for no reason. I was charged with no crime. There was no person charged in this area. All [the authorities] did was come and destroy my stuff. They didn't charge me with any crime."
Browne told the Times that Greene was "the focus of the investigation," noting:
“His possession of HMTD, a highly unstable explosive—combined with the discovery of other weapons, manuals on making booby traps and also correspondence that suggests a neo-Nazi affinity—caused us to be concerned about whatever aspirations he may have had."
Browne's comments somewhat pivot from the position he previously articulated in the Times that the couple were merely "admitted heroin addicts."
This video purports to show the volatility of HMTD.
Greene, whose father owns a prominent architectural restoration firm, pled guilty to stabbing a bouncer with an eleven-inch knife in 2005, and has a criminal record that includes drug and weapons possession charges. Greene's girlfriend, Morgan Gliedman, was released on $100,000 bond on Tuesday. The two are both due in court on the 29th.
