NYC Couple Arrested for Having Explosives; Woman Gives Birth in Custody

Police say the couple has no known links to any terrorist organizations.

ByABC News
January 2, 2013, 2:33 AM

Jan. 2, 2013— -- A man and his girlfriend, who gave birth under arrest, are facing weapons charges after police say they found a powerful substance used to make bombs and an arsenal of weapons in their New York City apartment.

Morgan Gliedman, 27, and Aaron Greene, 31, were arrested Saturday in their Manhattan apartment after officers with a search warrant found 7 grams of HMTD, a highly explosive white powder used in bomb making. Police also seized a flare launcher, a sawed-off shotgun, nine rifle magazines and various how-to manuals on building bombs and booby traps.

"They had a terrorist encyclopedia, they had improvised and modified firearms, deadly homemade weapons, a do it yourself machine gun..." New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Monday.

Kelly was unsure how much damage 7 grams of HMTD would cause.

Potential targets or a motive for having these items has not been determined. Police say the couple has no known links to any terrorist organizations.

Greene's lawyer, Lisa Pelosi, told ABC News her client has entered a plea of not guilty and is being held without bail. Greene, a Harvard graduate, is expected back in court Jan. 4.

"The whole situation's sad," Pelosi told the Associated Press on Monday.

Gliedman has not been arraigned because she is still in a hospital after giving birth to her daughter, Melanie, while in police custody, according to authorities.

Calls to Gliedman and Greene's family were not returned and police are not granting interviews regarding the case.

Police went to the apartment in Manhattan's Greenwich Village on Saturday morning after they received a tip from a couple Gliedman and Greene invited to their home. Police said they had been investigating Gliedman for credit card fraud when the tip came in.

Police blocked off the street were the couple lived and the entire building had to be evacuated.

"This really goes to mindset and obviously a number of the people involved in extremist philosophies would have all of these weapons and explosives clearly to harm other people," said former FBI agent and ABC News consultant Brad Garrett.

Gliedman and Greene are self-admitted heroine users, according to police.