Yesterday afternoon, cops noticed a car illegally crossing a lane on North Conduit Avenue in the Jamaica section of Queens and pulled over the driver. And then cops found "a car battery, fertilizer and glass jars with aluminum shavings inside -- materials commonly used to make bombs." So the driver was eventually arrested... for the nunchucks in the backseat.
Brooklyn resident Edward Vassel, 41, was taken to the 113th Precinct for questioning. Police contacted the FBI, because of the bomb-making ingredients, but a source told City Room the FBI would have no further involvement because "law enforcement personnel have determined that the man is not a bomb-maker." Apparently Vassel explained that he used the materials to make crystals "generally used for spiritual purposes." It's unclear whether the nunchucks, which are illegal in NY State, are for spiritual purposes as well.
