SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Federal prosecutors made a mistake in unilaterally constructing three bombs similar to the one planted at Spokane’s Martin Luther King Jr. day parade and then setting them off to see if they would explode.
A federal judge ruled Friday that defense attorneys should have been present for the tests to ensure the replica bombs closely resembled the bomb that was found and defused in Spokane last Jan. 17.
The judge ordered prosecutors to make additional replica bombs in collaboration with a defense expert, to ensure the replicas are similar to the original.
It was the final pretrial hearing for 37-year-old Kevin Harpham, who has pleaded not guilty to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, committing a hate crime and other charges. Trial is set for Sept. 12.
