On February 15, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at the Bronx apartment of twin brothers Christian and Tyler Toro, both 27. Agents found more than 30 pounds of explosive precursor chemicals and a handwritten note stating “under the full moon the small ones will know terror” among other items. The brothers were arrested and hit with explosives charges. Both defendants have been detained since their arrests.
According to the criminal complaint, 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 15-year old student was arrested, and Toro abruptly resigned. 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 Toro, he claimed that he had not meant to download the book, and that he had only looked at the table of contents.
Toro was arrested and charged with statutory rape in an unrelated case around this time.