A Florida man has been charged by the Justice Department with a plot to bomb Target stores along the East Coast, and then buy cheap stock after the company stock price plummeted.

Mark Charles Barnett, 48, was charged with making explosive devices, hiring a man to plant them, and attempting to blow up Target stores. The federal complaint alleges the former convicted felon concocted a plan to disguise the bombs as food items and placing them in stores along the East Coast of the US, from New York to Florida.

Barnett has been charged with "possession of a firearm (destructive device) affecting commerce by a previously convicted felon," according to the US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.

Target is the second largest discount store retailer in the US behind Walmart, with over $73 billion in revenue. Barnett "theorized that the company's stock value would plunge after the explosions, allowing him to cheaply acquire shares of Target stock before an eventual rebound in prices," the government said.

Barnett paid a man $10,000 to place the bombs on the shelves, and on February 9 gave him at least 10 explosives devices, a bag of gloves, a mask and license-plate cover, which would be used to cover up the man's identity, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the man - described as "a confidential source" - went to the authorities, handed over the bombs, and explained Barnett's plan.

Agents found bomb-making materials in the felon's home, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The items included rocket igniters, M-5000 explosives, and battery sources. Federal agents said the bombs could have caused property damage and serious injury or death to those nearby.

"Target commends the law enforcement agencies responsible for apprehending this individual," a company Target spokeswoman told ABC News.

Barnett is being held in the Marion County jail. According to ABC affiliate WFTV in Orlando, Barrett was already on probation and wearing a court-ordered GPS monitor for a number of felony offenses, including kidnapping, multiple counts of sexual battery with a weapon or force and grand theft. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.

from what i read here, i don't understand why he wasn't
charged with conspiracy to commit an act of domestic terrorism ??

My guess would be because he wasn't looking to kill anyone, just greed was the motivating factor.. but I really don't know

i look at it this way....

my wife packs up our 3yo and leaves home to pick up our 7yo from school
on the way she stops off at target for a few things and decides to get some
candy treats for after supper...she hands the 3yo a box of good & plenty to
play with at the checkout lane...the kid is fascinated with shaking the box
like a rattle....now the box explodes in the toddlers face...luckily the child
survives the blast, but will be permanently disfigured with facial injuries...

and this guy gets a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison because he
wasn't *looking to kill anyone and was only motivated for monetary gain...

imo....i think he should facing life in prison...

Aren't those firecrackers?
The kind you can buy around the 4th of July at the grocery store or the tents on the corner where they also sell Christmas trees?


Probably because a lot is based on an accusation by another guy.
Does the accuser have evidence the bomber paid him $10k?
Is there a master plan or manifesto in the handwriting and possession of the bomb maker detailing the Target James Bond plot?

Take away the "he said/he said" in the OP and all you really have is 1 guy with bombs saying he got those bombs from another guy. Cops go to that another guy's house and find bomb making equipment. Bomb making equipment counts as a "firearm," and bomber is a felon on parole.

Evidence of bombs doesn't inherently validate everything the accuser says.

And for all I know this is only the beginning of the investigation and they will charge him with more later.
But right now, they (only) have sufficient evidence to charge him with what they did, and that particular charge has a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Wait wait wait....Blowing up Targets???? Is this a word play? Isn't this more of a community service!?!? Whoa...We're that one come from. I heard they are going out of business anyway.

This reminds me a bit of the infamous Beltway Sniper from a decade ago. Once captured and identified, he was found to be a long time criminal, mentally unstable, and sociopathic. His plan also, was a grandiose design, wherein he imagined that after he killed enough people, he would be able to blackmail the government and others in to buying him off with millions.

Target is too big of a company. He should have set his sights on.. lets say, Taco Bell.

He could have chucked the bomb thru the drive thru window.. then just speed off to the next one.

save time.. save gas.. and get a bit to eat.

Well, really, if you want to get into the logic of the crime itself, bombing ANY company isn't going to drive it's stock down significantly. In the US especially, people often flock to an attacked company and give them MORE business, as a form of defiance against the attackers.

He should have just some K-Mart stock instead, it's already tanked.

sears and Kmart are closing some stores ...
never heard about target ...