Russian national allegedly made weapons of mass destruction in Philadelphia home: Could have leveled a whole block

A Russian national has been charged with manufacturing weapons of mass destruction after explosives that could have “leveled a whole block” were discovered in his Philadelphia rowhome, according to officials.Philadelphia police discovered a bomb-making lab with more than 50 pounds of homemade explosive devices at the home of 27-year-old Evgenii Sadrislamov on Friday after firefighters responded to reports of smoke coming from the property, Fox 29 reported.Chemicals and other materials were found — along with “extensive literature” on bomb-making, Deputy Commissioner James Kelly III told a press conference Wednesday.“We really escaped a major tragedy on this one,” he said.Assistant District Attorney Angela Brennan added: “This was a huge danger to the community, a rowhome possessed explosives that could have leveled a whole block.”Nearby residents were evacuated as a man and a woman were rescued from the Montague Street home and treated by first responders at the scene, police said, without identifying them.Sadrislamov — who will turn 28 behind bars Saturday — was already on probation for a similar incident in 2020 after commercial-grade fireworks were found inside the home.Prosecutors called Friday’s incident “a clear escalation,” while Eric DeGree, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Sadrislamov could have caused “injury, death and destruction” to his neighbors.However, Sadrislamov’s mother maintained that her son never intended to hurt anyone — telling Fox 29 that he merely made fireworks as a “hobby.”Sadrislamov, a reported Russian immigrant, is charged with arson, possession of weapons of mass destruction, and other related offenses.He is being held on $950,000 bail as the investigation, led by ATF, continues.

His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Oct 22, after his 28th birthday on Saturday....