(KRON) — One man is in custody after a destructive device making facility was discovered during a burglary investigation Monday, according to the San Jose Police Department. Officers responded at around 4:17 a.m. to a report of a commercial burglary in the 1200 block of Old Bayshore Highway.
Law enforcement officials said the explosives found were far more powerful than fireworks and there were enough on-hand to level an entire building.
During a security sweep of the building, police said they located what appeared to be a destructive device manufacturing operation inside the business. The San Jose PD Bomb Squad responded along with Assaults Unit Detectives to assist with the investigation.
San Jose resident Adam Mirassou was identified as the primary suspect in the course of the investigation. Search warrants were obtained for Mirassou’s business and residence, police said. He was located and arrested at his residence later that day without incident.
Mirassou was booked into Santa Clara County Jail. In searches of his business and residence, officers located over a hundred pounds of precursor explosive making materials, assembly equipment and completed explosives.
Police said it looked like the explosives manufacturing had been going on for sometime and that there is the possibility that the devices were being made for distribution.
“Had we not discovered that and had there been an accidental fire, it very likely could have leveled the entire building,” a San Jose PD spokesperson said.
The explosives were two to three times stronger than what the military uses to simulate artillery fire, police added.
The suspect is facing felony charges related to the manufacturing and storage of destructive devices. Police are asking members of the public with knowledge related to the suspect or the incident to come forward.
In an unrelated incident, a man was arrested earlier this year after he allegedly stockpiled bomb-making chemicals in his home and blew up PG&E transformers around San Jose.
