Around 9 months after authorities found a cache of bomb-making materials in their Bronx apartment, Christian Toro and Tyler Toro, both 28, pled guilty to explosives charges on Monday in Manhattan federal court.
Christian Toro came under suspicion in January after a bomb threat was called in to the Harlem high school where he worked as a teacher. A student was arrested for calling in the bomb threat, and Toro resigned abruptly a short time later. Shortly after he resigned, his brother returned a work laptop to the school, and a school employee found a copy of a bomb-making book on the laptop.
When law enforcement agents interviewed Christian Toro, he told them that he had been researching the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and claimed that he had not meant to download the book. He also said that he had only looked at the table of contents.
The search of Christian and Tyler Toro’s apartment
The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force applied for a search warrant in February after agents learned that Christian Toro had paid at least two students $50 an hour to break apart fireworks and place the powder that came out of them in containers on multiple occasions in late 2017.
When they entered the apartment, law enforcement agents found Christian Toro in the bathroom attempting to flush marijuana down the toilet.
Agents discovered a trove of bomb-making materials in the brothers’ bedroom including over 30 pounds of explosive precursor chemicals, a glass jar containing explosive powder, a fuse, ball bearings, 7 boxes of firecrackers, a gas mask, gloves, improvised napalm, and a bag of 38 caliber bullets.
“Under the full moon the small ones will know terror.”
-Christian Toro
Law enforcement agents also found Tyler Toro’s handwritten diary on a table in the kitchen. The diary stated “we are twin Toros strike us now, we will return with nano thermite”. Thermite is an explosive material used in incendiary bombs. It also stated “If you’re registered as a sex offender, things will be difficult. But I am here 100%, living, buying weapons. Whatever we need.” According to the complaint, Christian Toro was arrested and charged with statutory rape in an unrelated case in January.
Agents also found a page inside a notebook labeled “Operation Flash,” showing the hours worked and payment owed to a student.
The brothers were taken to the local police precinct where they were handed over to the FBI to be charged.
Christian Toro’s bail hearing
At a bail hearing for Christian Toro shortly after his arrest, the Assistant U.S. Attorney in charge of the prosecution said the government had evidence that he lit powder on fire in front of a student on at least one occasion. She also revealed that investigators had found a text message from Tyler Toro to Christian Toro stating that the Las Vegas shooter had a police scanner and they needed to get one. Christian allegedly responded by saying “copy, I see a couple on Amazon”.
Both defendants have been detained since they were arrested.
The guilty pleas
Christian Toro and Tyler Toro each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture and unlawfully possess a destructive device, one count of unlawfully manufacturing a destructive device, and one count of unlawfully possessing a destructive device.
Both defendants will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard Berman on March 26, 2019.
Read an earlier post about the case here.