Griffin Johnston, 4th period, Russian born American found in possession of bombs and bomb making materials

            An article on CNN.com reports on the discovering of a Russian man in Pennsylvania in possession of “weapons of mass destruction.” The Investigation was initially prompted by reports of Marijuana cultivation, but the police ended up finding, in the words of the article, “bomb making materials,” that, according to the man, were bought off the internet. After having been taken into custody, police asked the man, Vladislav Miftakhov, what he intended to do with the weapons. Miftahav answered with “to blow things up.” He later stipulated that the explosions would have been done in a field. People living in the same building as Miftakhov stated that he had recently set off three small homemade bombs outside of the apartment, as well as saying that he attended the Penn State (Altoona, PA branch). Police also did end up finding evidence of Miftakhov growing Marijuana.

            The correlation between the growth of drugs as well as the making of bombs is definitely significant because it shows that his intentions for the usage of the bombs were most likely, as he seemed to sound with the answering of the police’s questions, innocuous. However, the presence of drugs does bring up another question, as does the fact that he is a Russian native. Russia is currently a very unstable country and, especially with the recent acts of terrorism surrounding the upcoming Sochi Olympics, the presence of this Russian-born man in Pennsylvania with bomb making materials could provoke suspicion. However, assuming his intentions were harmless, the influence of the marijuana on his use of the bombs could definitely been dangerous. However, one could say the same for the much more socially acceptable consumption of alcohol and how this could have equally motivated him to commit to dangerous undertakings with his bombs. Yet, it seems as though Marijuana would have a more intense and lasting effect on the brain and body during and after usage. Nevertheless, it is always shocking to find how people choose to spend their time and to find that there are numerous people who do not have a drive and a passion to make a positive impact on the world the best they can.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/26/justice/pennsylvania-teen-bomb-arrest/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1