Feds charge Pittsburgh man, 52, with placing bag full of homemade bombs Downtown, having supplies at home

A Pittsburgh man has been charged with a federal crime after police said he placed a backpack containing several homemade bombs in Downtown Pittsburgh on May 31.

U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Saturday that Matthew Michanowicz, 52, of the city’s Duquesne Heights neighborhood, was charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device. He was arrested Friday by Allegheny County sheriffs.

Pittsburgh police responded Monday morning to an open area at 2 PNC Plaza where PNC security personnel reported seeing a “military, green backpack” by a bicycle rack.

The police’s bomb squad found what they referred to as three suspected “homemade Molotov cocktails,” identified in arrest papers filed against Michanowicz as “spent OC vapor grenades,” which contained a fluid that was leaking out of at least of the devices.

“All three devices had wicks attached to them, which were held in place by what appears to be spray-foam insulation,” according to the arrest papers .

Surveillance footage provided by PNC showed a man with the backpack was riding a blue bicycle with a red handlebar pouch. On Wednesday , a Pittsburgh police officer spotted a man on a bicycle matching that description “in the exact location where the bag had been discovered” on Monday, according to federal officials.

After initially releasing Michanowicz, the officer was directed to detain him for questioning. Police said Michanowicz told them he had visited the area to look at the aftermath of earlier protests, but said he never had any destructive devices.

Authorities searched Michanowicz’s Republic Street home Thursday. They say it turned up a bundle of the same type of fuse as those on the bombs, a can of spray foam and a syringe containing a liquid whose odor was consistent with the bombs.

Investigators also allegedly found 10 more backpacks similar to the bag left Downtown.

“Once again, we see that certain participants in the protests in Pittsburgh were only present to serve as agitators and to incite violence. Let’s call them what they are: criminals,” Brady said in a statement released Saturday. “They have no intention of peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights; they seek only to incite and destroy.

“Michanowicz brought a backpack full of homemade Molotov cocktails to downtown Pittsburgh. He wasn’t there to protest; he was there to engage in violent attacks.”

If convicted, Michanowicz faces up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. A court date has not yet been set.

“I hope that any organizers or protesters who are participating consistent with the First Amendment will help identify and stop agitators who seek to manipulate their protest for violent ends,” Brady said. “Rest assured that we stand ready to prosecute such provocateurs federally.”