A former U.S. Marine in his downtown Denver hotel room told investigators he planned to strap the explosives to his waist and blow himself up in Pueblo, a federal prosecutor said in court Thursday.
Adam Nauveed Hayat, 36, reported buying materials to make the bombs at Walmart and Home Depot, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Martinez said, and had also tried, but failed, to buy guns at a Bass Pro Shops store in the Stapleton neighborhood.
“These were homemade pipe bombs,” Martinez told Magistrate Judge Michael E. Hegarty in arguing that Hayat be held pending trial. “And they have been determined to be devices that were capable of exploding. … These were items that he admitted to making.”
Hayat, through his federal public defender, pleaded not guilty to one count of possession of a firearm (a destructive device) not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. He was late last week.
Court testimony on Thursday did not make clear if Hayat had plans to harm others with the explosives, though prosecutors noted that the attempted purchase of guns, coupled with the bombs, suggested — at least — that he is a danger to the community. Authorities did not elaborate on why Hayat planned to explode himself in Pueblo.
Robert Pepin, Hayat’s attorney, said Hayat suffers from significant mental illness and should be moved to a halfway house so that he can get care. He said Hayat has no criminal history and that he left the pipe bombs in his room at the Sheraton Denver Downtown as an attempt to change his plans and safely dispose of the explosives.
“There’s no indication that he’s done anything associated with violence except for going to Iraq with the Marines,” Pepin said.
Hegarty expressed frustration at the lack of options to treat Hayat — calling them “terrible” — while he is in federal detention, ultimately deciding, however, that Hayat should be incarcerated to prevent risk to the public and to himself. The judge left the door open to reconsider the ruling in the future.
“I only have bad options,” Hegarty said, “so I’m going to take what I think is a least bad option.”
Hegarty told Hayat he appreciated his service — to which Hayat responded “thank you” — and said he believed the former Marine is suffering from “serious mental illness.”
Martinez said Hayat has attempted suicide since being arrested.
“Mr. Hayat has extensively traveled,” she said. “He has no ties to the local community.”
The explosives — six suspected pipe bombs — after Denver police officers found the word “explosives” written on the closet door mirror of Hayatap hotel room. Federal authorities say Hayat was renting room 1902 at the Sheraton.
Police were called and the explosives were found after hotel staff stumbled upon a “suspicious incident.” Rooms surrounding where the bombs were found were evacuated.
According to a federal criminal complaint for Hayat, the suspected bombs — in two metal pipes and four gray-colored polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes — were in an ammunition can in the room’s safe.
Pepin said in court Thursday that Hayat has written the safe’s combination on the mirror in an attempt to alert authorities to the danger.
The complaint says each of the suspected bombs had white, black and gray “granular material” which burned and sporadically sparked during a flame test at the Denver police bomb range.
Hayat, a former Marine from the St. Louis area, was arrested Feb. 16 in Los Angeles — at a hotel near that city’s airport — without incident. Inside of his California hotel room, authorities say they found a hatchet and knives.
The bombs discovered in Denver were disposed of, investigators say, though testing on what they were made of is ongoing.
Magistrate Judge Hegarty said he wanted more information on the devices, admonishing the U.S. Attorney’s Office for not having details on their destructive capability.
The criminal complaint does not provide information on why Hayat allegedly had the pipe bombs in his hotel room, which was strewn with empty rifle shell casings and several metal pipes. Federal authorities have not discussed the case at length and Thursday’s hearing in Denver federal court was the first time details have surfaced.
Inside the Sheraton hotel room, Denver police officers say they also found personal documents that belonged to Hayat, including Denver Probate Court paperwork and Denver Health Medical Center paperwork. There were also firearm transaction record documents from Bass Pro Shop, which had Hayatap name on them, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors believe he was staying at the Sheraton for two or three months.
, Sultan Hayat, the father of the suspect, said his son has a history of mental health problems, including PTSD, bipolar disorder and symptoms of attention deficit disorder.
“Police called this morning from Denver, and I talked to them,” Sultan Hayat told Denver7 in February. “They said he had bought some firearms, and they were concerned that he may hurt himself or someone else.”
Hayat appeared in court Thursday in green detention clothes, handcuffed and shackled. At times he appeared to mutter or talk to himself and nodded his head when Magistrate Judge Hegarty said the decision to leave the pipe bombs in the safe was “potentially … something he thought was safe.”
“He understands that this is a very problematic situation,” Pepin told the court. “It’s something that frightens the community.”
