FBI says man with 200-pound bomb had Election Day plot

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities have charged a New York man with building a 200-pound (90-kilogram) bomb that he planned to detonate on Election Day on the National Mall in Washington.

Paul Rosenfeld, of Tappan, was charged Wednesday with unlawfully manufacturing a destructive device and interstate transportation and receipt of an explosive.

Prosecutors say he planned to use the bomb to kill himself and draw attention to a political system called sortation, in which public officials are chosen randomly rather than elected.

It was not immediately clear whether Rosenfeld had an attorney.

Authorities say in a court complaint that the FBI found a functional bomb in Rosenfeld’s basement during a raid Tuesday.

The FBI says in court filings that Rosenfeld confessed to ordering large quantities of black powder over the internet.