When police arrested a man accused of lying on a document to purchase a firearm, he revealed plans to bomb New York City, Kentucky police and court documents said.
The man, identified as Maurya Bharwad, was first observed by churchgoers in Barbourville for his “suspicious” behavior as he tried to “survey various rooms inside the church,” police said in a Feb. 28 Facebook post.
On Jan. 31, he attempted to purchase a firearm shortly before the local store closed for the night, according to a criminal affidavit. When the sale was delayed because of federal regulations, the man showed “erratic behavior” and tried to leave the store with an unloaded gun, the affidavit said.
He said he needed the firearm “no matter what the government says,” per court documents.
An arrest warrant was issued. Officials later revealed that he was high while attempting to purchase the gun, but lied about this fact when filling out documents in the firearm shop.
Bharwad was charged with making a false statement during purchase of a firearm.
Court documents said the man is a citizen of India and had an expired student visa. Bharwad’s attorney declined to comment on the charges to McClatchy News.
During interviews, police learned that Bharwad had attempted to search “how to make a bomb” and that he had made a plan to use a bomb in the tunnels located in New York City to “shut the city down,” the affidavit said.
Bharwad told police he wanted to bomb New York City because something had happened to him there, court documents said.
Barbourville is about a 110-mile drive south from Lexington.