A 72-year-old Miami man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder and attempted arson after police received a tip. During a subsequent search, they found a storage room containing “28 containers with gasoline, sulfur powder, and potassium nitrate.”
Walter Stolper was facing eviction from his condo and had reportedly stated that he wanted to “kill all the Jews” in the building. Police found “Nazi reading material and a Swastika” in Stolper’s condo.
A Miami Beach man upset with his Jewish neighbors after he was evicted from his condo reportedly vowed to burn down the building with “all the f***ing Jews.”“We do believe that we were minutes away from a potentially deadly situation,” explained Miami Beach Police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez.Witnesses told police that Walter Stolper, 72, had shown aggression toward some of residents and board of directors of his building at 56th Street and Collins Avenue.. . . . On Friday afternoon, police detectives found a storage room linked Stolper, which contained 28 containers with gasoline, sulfur powder, and potassium nitrate.“This is an individual that our intelligence unit intercepted with two filled gasoline tanks as he was coming back into the apartment building. Already in the building, he had disposed of eight additional gasoline canisters down the trash chute from the 15th floor,” said Rodriguez.When officers arrived at the building, they could smell the gas. A resident also complained about the strong odor of gas in the hallways and elevators.“We received a tip yesterday. He had been acting strangely saying a lot of derogatory comments towards the Jewish community. We later learned there was a pending eviction for him,” said Rodriguez.. . . . Stolper was arrested and charged with attempted murder and attempted arson.
Stolper’s alleged plan was diabolical and apparently intended to cause maximum damage and loss of life.
CBS continues:
“Inside of the unit, we found Nazi reading material as well as a swastika. This again is a very, very, very dangerous individual. Our detectives also seized two firearms,” said Rodriguez.Police also said he had purchased two electrical fans to fan the flames and cause as much damage as possible. He also purchased padlocks to place on a nearby firehouse to keep firefighters from extinguishing the flames.Stolper, police say, also destroyed the smoke detector in his condominium, which was hardwired into the building’s fire system.
According to police, Stolper had already set his plot into motion when he was arrested.
ABC News reports:
According to police, Stolper had already poured gasoline down the garbage chute from the 15th floor and planned to ignite the gasoline and use two electrical fans — found in his apartment — to further fan the flames and cause maximum damage.Surveillance video from the condo complex showed Stolper placing gas canisters on several floors, police said.The arrest report also states he had bought padlocks and planned to place them on the firehouse to prevent fire officials from responding.A storage facility, searched later on Friday, turned up 28 additional containers filled with “gasoline, sulfur powder, and potassium nitrate,” the Miami Beach Police Department said in a statement. Sulfur and potassium nitrate are used in explosives, and are the main ingredients in gunpowder.
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