GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Federal prosecutors say 31-year-old Luke Terpstra decided two years ago to make the 882-mile drive from his home in Newaygo County to Salem, Massachusetts, so he could blow up the Satanic temple there.
Instead, he got caught by federal authorities. And now, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Grand Rapids has announced the Grant man is heading to prison for three years. That is the sentence rendered by a federal judge after they said Terpstra pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Detectives said they caught Terpstra with homemade bombs and guns in his car.
Here is more information provided in a news release from U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey:
VerHey today announced that United States District Judge Robert J. Jonker sentenced Luke Isaac Terpstra, 31, of Grant, Michigan to three years in prison for possession of an unregistered destructive device. Terpstra also has to pay a fine of $750 and a special assessment of $100.
“The sentence in this case is significant and it reinforces that individuals who build bombs with the intent to injure innocent civilians and destroy property will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey. “This conduct puts us all at risk, and my office will hold those who commit such crimes accountable.”
Terpstra’s sentencing follows his guilty plea in April of this year. As part of the plea, Terpstra admitted that, in September 2023, he traveled from his home in Grant, Michigan to Salem, Massachusetts carrying with him several improvised explosive devices (IED), multiple firearms (including a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle), and ammunition. Terpstra built the IEDs sometime in late summer or early fall 2023. Two of the IEDs were comprised of a container with either coins or rifle ammunition secured to the sides of it and a piece of cannon fuse coming out of the lids of the containers. Terpstra admitted building the IEDs because he wanted to destroy the Satanic Temple by setting it on fire.
“The sentencing of Luke Terpstra sends a clear and powerful message: those who threaten the safety of our nation will be held fully accountable under the law,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “This outcome reflects our steadfast commitment to protecting the American people from bad actors and violence in all its forms. I am proud of the dedicated and diligent investigative work of the members from our FBI Grand Rapids Resident Agency, alongside our law enforcement partners at the Grant Police Department, Kent County Sheriff’s Office, and Michigan State Police. I also want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, whose contributions were vital in concluding this case. We remain fully committed to collaborating with our law enforcement allies to identify, investigate, and bring to justice those who pose a threat to our country.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Grant Police Department and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Carowan prosecuted it on behalf of the United States.
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