A Florida man was arrested earlier this week after police found he was making what they described as a “weapon of mass destruction.” The man, 31-year-old Christopher S. Langer, was found to be in possession of over 200 containers of unidentified powders, nitric acid, and even human urine in his bedroom.
Police were called to Langer’s home after he got into an argument with his parents, whom he lives with. He reportedly told his parents that he had placed an explosive inside of a grenade.
After the police arrived, an intoxicated Langer initially denied the existence of any such grenade. Eventually, he confessed to having thrown it outside. There, officers found a pineapple-style grenade with a paperclip in place of the pin.
Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Department then evacuated the home and began a search, finding the various substances. At least 79 were placed in a containment area for safety reasons, while the others were found to have contained bodily fluids.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood told reporters:
That domestic violence call probably saved us from making national and international news. He has all the components in there to make a weapon of mass destruction.
Chitwood noted that some of the components found were nitric acid and urea, which are similar to the materials used to construct the first World Trade Center bomb in 1993.
Langer was well-known to officers before this arrest.
A heroin addict, Langer had been hospitalized four times under the state’s Baker Act, which allows for the involuntary confinement of individuals for up to 72 hours for a mental health evaluation. Further, officers had recently responded to the home when Langer had overdosed on heroin, reviving him with Narcan.
Langer was known to be anti-government in his views, reportedly based in part on his experience with the Baker Act, and was said to want to get even with first responders. Chitwood commented:
Two weeks ago we saved your god**** life, and now we’re here two weeks later and you’re talking about how you want to blow us all up.
Chitwood added that the rest of the home was a normal, everyday home, but Langer’s room was another matter:
If I was a roach, I wouldn’t live in that room. That’s how despicable and dirty and feces- and urine-filled that room is. The rest of the house is in pretty good shape.
Langer was taken to Volusia County Jail and held on $5,000 bond. Other charges may be forthcoming.
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