The Queens District Attorney’s Office announced an indictment Monday against two brothers after investigators found a stash of improvised explosive devices, homemade guns and other weapons in their Astoria apartment, along with what prosecutors called “anarchist propaganda” and a handwritten “hit list” targeting law enforcement, celebrities and others.
Andrew Hatziagelis, 31, and his brother Angelo, 51, were taken into custody Jan. 17 after police executed a search warrant at their home on 36th Avenue in Astoria and discovered the weapons stockpile, according to DA Melinda Katz.
If convicted, the brothers each face up to 25 years in prison. The indictment charges them with 130 counts of criminal weapons possession and other related violations.
Queens prosecutors alleged the brothers amassed two AR-15-style homemade assault rifles, multiple 3D-printed pistols, more than 600 rounds of ammunition, tools to assemble DIY guns — also known as “ghost guns” — three sets of body armor, 29 high-capacity magazines, and instructions for making explosives.
Katz said police also seized eight operational homemade bombs and an unfinished trip-wire explosive device constructed in an empty can of Mott’s apple juice.
“Today, we start 2024 with New York City being safer because of the constant vigilant stance to find these weapons,” Katz said at a press conference. “When one is willing to manufacture illegal weapons, there is no limit to what they can do and what they can create.”
Andrew’s listed attorney, Naira Grigoryan of the nonprofit legal services group Queens Defenders, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Angelo’s listed attorney, Alisha Babar of the Legal Aid Society, another public defender group, declined to comment.
At the brothers’ home, investigators discovered various “anti-government” manifestos they allegedly wrote, according to the DA’s office.
One document entitled “Order of the Misanthropic Few” demanded that…
Read the full article here