‘Anarchist’ Convicted in Ohio Bridge Bomb Plot
A self-described anarchist who acted as his own lawyer was convicted on Thursday of attempting to blow up a four-lane highway bridge near Cleveland in April 2012.
A jury in Akron federal court convicted Joshua Stafford, 24, of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and other charges and he now faces up to life in prison.
Four other defendants pleaded guilty last year and have received prison sentences of six years to more than 10 years each and lifetime probation for their plot to destroy a bridge that runs through Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 30 miles south of Cleveland.
All five men were arrested after they left at the base of the bridge two tool boxes containing inert explosives they had bought from an undercover federal agent. They then drove to a restaurant and tried to use a cellphone to set off the fake bomb.