Two brothers have been indicted on 130 counts of criminal possession of a weapon and related charges after an arsenal of improvised explosive devices and ghost guns, including assault rifles, was found inside an Astoria apartment they shared with their mother and another brother, the Queens district attorney's office said Monday.
Instructions for making a variety of bombs, anarchist propaganda and a "hit list," with "cops, judges, politicians, celebrities" and "banker scum" scrawled on it, were also found during a search of the home that came as a result of a six-month investigation.
Both Andrew Hatziagelis, 39, and Angelo Hatziagelis, 51, were remanded into custody. They were expected to be arraigned later Monday. If convicted, they each face up to 25 years in prison.
According to the charges, members of the Queens District Attorney's Crime Strategies & Intelligence Bureau launched an investigation into the purchase of firearm components, accessories and the manufacture of illegal ghost guns by the brothers based on proper intelligence. A search warrant was executed. NYPD members were brought in.
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The apartment is located across the way from a Con Edison plant. The NYPD Bomb Squad was called in when live IEDs were discovered inside. The area was evacuated as a precaution.
Seized in that Jan. 17 search, according to prosecutors:
- Eight operational IEDs (improvised explosive devices)
- One partially constructed trip-wire IED
- Two loaded AR-15 style ghost gun assault weapons, each with a detachable magazine, muzzle compensator and threaded barrel
- Two loaded 9 mm semiautomatic ghost gun pistols
- Two loaded 9 mm semiautomatic 3D printed ghost gun pistols
- One partially constructed AK-47 style ghost gun
- Over 600 rounds of ammunition for each of the firearms above
- One 3D printer
- Three sets of body armor
- Six additional AR/pistol lower receivers
- 29 high-capacity ammunition feeding devices, 13 of which were personally manufactured utilizing a 3D printer
- Tools to assemble ghost guns
- Metal knuckles
- A radio set to the frequency of the 114th Precinct in Astoria
- Several electronic devices (phones, computer)
- Numerous notebooks containing instructions on the manufacture of explosive devices and anarchist-related propaganda
- Explosive residue, and components to manufacture additional IEDs
- Nine pyrotechnic smoke bombs
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"The city is safer today. My Crime Strategies and Intelligence Bureau launches investigations every day so that we find illegal weapons, including guns and in this case explosive devices. We cannot measure the number of lives that were saved, but we do know that these weapons will never hurt anyone," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
"Today’s charges underscore the harsh reality that our communities contain a small number of people who conceivably harbor evil intent," NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban added. "This cache of weapons – including explosives and untraceable, 3D-printed ghost guns – had the potential to wreak horrendous carnage."
NYPD Inspector Courtney Nilan said "multiple writings, multiple notebooks" were recovered from the home, showing that the brothers were "very anti-government, anti-society. There were writings in the notebooks quoting Charles Manson. Very into human destruction."
A neighbor who has lived in the area for 20 years and has known for family for some time said she saw the raid, and the brothers were not overly nice. They lived with their mother and another brother, but those two did not face charges.
"They’re not congenial. They’re not friendly people," said Shaleen Heffernan, saying the pair "very much" kept to themselves.
An email request for comment to the attorney listed for Andrew Hatziagelis wasn't immediately returned Monday. Angelo Hatziagelis is being represented by The Legal Aid Society, which typically doesn't comment on open cases.
