Former Navy SEAL Convicted of Transporting Explosives with Intent to Harm
In a case that underscores the intersection of extremist beliefs and violence, a former Navy SEAL was found guilty of transporting fireworks across state lines with the intent to attack law enforcement during a protest in San Diego. Gregory Vandenberg, who harbors neo-Nazi ideologies, faces up to 10 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.
The conviction was announced on Monday following a five-day trial in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not yet scheduled Vandenberg’s sentencing, but he remains in custody. The jury was presented with evidence of his plan to travel from El Paso, Texas, to California to target police officers at the June 14 “No Kings” protest.
Prosecutors revealed text messages on Vandenberg’s phone expressing anger towards former President Donald Trump and beliefs about a Jewish-controlled U.S. government. His phone’s home screen displayed an image of the Taliban flag, and his vehicle contained items with anti-Israel and neo-Nazi insignia.
On June 12, Vandenberg stopped at a Lordsburg, New Mexico travel center, purchasing six large mortar fireworks and 72 M-150 firecrackers. These firecrackers mimic the sound of gunfire, and he boasted to a store clerk about his extensive explosives knowledge and special operations experience. He also shared his plans to attack police at the demonstration.
Vandenberg lived in his car and had no stable job. He urged the store clerk to accompany him and wore a T-shirt emblazoned with “Amalek,” a term he claimed meant “destroyer of Jews.” Store employees, wary of his intentions, reported his license plate to authorities.
Authorities apprehended Vandenberg on June 13 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, where he was found sleeping in his car. Despite his claims of traveling for work and visiting friends, FBI agents testified that he was unemployed.
Vandenberg was charged with the transportation of explosives with the intent to kill, injure, or intimidate, and attempted transportation of prohibited fireworks into California. A request for comment was made to his attorney, Russell Dean Clark, but no response was available.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison commented on the case, stating, “People in this country are free to hold their own beliefs and to express them peacefully. What they are not free to do is use explosives to threaten or terrorize others. Vandenberg intended to turn explosives into a tool of intimidation.”
