Man accused of being a bomb-maker pleads not guilty to eight federal charges

SAN DIEGO - A man accused of making bombs and storing explosives at his rented Escondido home - including compounds used by terrorists - pleaded not guilty today to eight federal charges and was ordered held without bail.

George Djura Jakubec, who was born in Serbia, is charged with making and possessing destructive devices as well as robbing three banks and trying to rob a fourth over the past two years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rees Morgan refused to comment on whether more charges would be coming.

In a brief hearing at the U.S. District Courthouse, Magistrate Judge Ruben Brooks ordered Jakubec held with no bail, saying the 54-year-old defendant would be a risk to flee and a danger to the community if released.

Jakubec, wearing glasses and an orange jumpsuit, answered quietly when Brooks asked him his name and whether he understood what was going on.

A motion and trial-setting hearing was set for Jan. 18 before U.S. District Judge Larry Burns.

"George is anxious to tell his side of the story," Jakubec's attorney, Michael Berg, said outside the courtroom.

A federal indictment handed up last week alleges that on or before Nov. 18, Jakubec made destructive devices, including nine detonators and 13 grenade hulls with unknown quantities of high explosives.

Jakubec was arrested last month after a landscaper, Mario Garcia, 49, of Fallbrook, was injured when he stepped on something akin to a mine in Jakubec's backyard. It remains unclear why Jakubec allegedly created what a prosecutor called a "bomb factory."

The cache of compounds - including substances used by suicide bombers and the so-called underwear and shoe bombers - was "the largest quantity of these types of homemade explosives (ever found) at one place in the United States," Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez said at Jakubec's Nov. 22 arraignment in state court.

That same day, according to court records, Jakubec admitted to authorities that he robbed three banks as well as having explosives and weapons at his home.

Bomb experts decided that burning down the house was the safest way to dispose of the large amount of hazardous bomb-making chemicals stored there.

That is scheduled to happen on Wednesday, Dec. 8 or later this week.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared San Diego County a disaster area because of the explosives.

Berg said Jakubec told him he wants to apologize to anyone who will be adversely affected by the destruction of the house.

Jakubec is depressed because he and his wife will lose everything inside the home, Berg said.

"Basically, everything they own is about to go up in smoke," the defense attorney told reporters. "He's depressed. He's basically going to lose everything that he has. He's very upset that the house is going to be destroyed."

Berg said Jakubec was living at the house with his wife, who also stands to lose all of her belongings.

To prepare for the destruction of the suspect's former rental home, crews began erecting a 16-foot-high metal-framed wall alongside it to the north on Thursday, Dec. 2. The barrier, to be covered with fire-resistant drywall and flame-retardant gel, will protect a next-door neighbor's home, sheriff's spokeswoman Melissa Aquino said.

Workers also removed shrubs, trees and wooden fences that could catch fire during the burn, which will take place when climatic conditions - notably wind patterns - are as favorable as possible for this time of year.

Earlier last week, the county Air Pollution Control District installed a portable weather station on the roof of nearby Escondido Fire Department Fire Station 3 to get real-time weather patterns and "minimize surprises" on the day of the burn, Aquino said.

Hazardous-materials experts, meanwhile, have been strategizing on air monitoring to take place during the prescribed blaze and planning for the subsequent clean-up task.

Additionally, sheriff's officials are meeting with Escondido police and firefighting personnel to plan the evacuation of dozens of homes and traffic-control measures that will be necessary on the day of the controlled fire, Aquino said.

A stretch of nearby Interstate 15 also will be closed during the operation due to its proximity to the contaminated house.

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Man accused of making bombs faces federal charges, admits to robbing banks

SAN DIEGO - A man accused of making bombs and storing explosives at his rented Escondido home -- including compounds used by terrorists -- faced federal charges today after a grand jury returned an eight-count indictment.

George Djura Jakubec, 54, who was born in Serbia, was charged in state court last week with unlawfully making and possessing explosives. Those charges were dismissed today so Jakubec can be prosecuted in federal court.

The federal indictment handed up Thursday alleges that on or before Nov. 18, Jakubec made destructive devices, including nine detonators and 13 grenade hulls with unknown quantities of high explosives.

Jakubec was arrested last month after a landscaper, Mario Garcia, 49, of Fallbrook, was injured when he stepped on something akin to a mine in Jakubec's backyard. It remains unclear why Jakubec allegedly created what a prosecutor called a ''bomb factory.''

The cache of compounds -- including substances used by suicide bombers and the so-called underwear and shoe bombers -- was ''the largest quantity of these types of homemade explosives (ever found) at one place in the United States,'' Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez said at Jakubec's Nov. 22 arraignment in state court.

Bomb experts decided that burning down the house was the safest way to dispose of the large amount of hazardous bomb-making chemicals stored there.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared San Diego County a disaster area because of the explosives, and the house is to be destroyed next week.

To prepare for the destruction of the suspect's former rental home, crews Thursday began erecting a 16-foot-high metal-framed wall alongside it to the north. The barrier, to be covered with fire-resistant dry wall and flame- retardant gel, will protect a next-door neighbor's home, sheriff's spokeswoman Melissa Aquino said.

Workers also removed shrubs, trees and wooden fences that could catch fire during the burn, which will take place when climatic conditions -- notably wind patterns -- are as favorable as possible for this time of year.

Earlier this week, the county Air Pollution Control District installed a portable weather station on the roof of nearby Escondido Fire Department Fire Station 3 to get real-time weather patterns and ''minimize surprises'' on the day of the burn, Aquino said.

Hazardous-materials experts, meanwhile, have been strategizing on air monitoring to take place during the prescribed blaze and planning for the subsequent clean-up task.

Additionally, sheriff's officials are meeting with Escondido police and firefighting personnel to plan the evacuation of dozens of homes and traffic- control measures that will be necessary on the day of the controlled fire, Aquino said.

A stretch of nearby Interstate 15 also will be closed during the operation due to its proximity to the contaminated house.

The federal indictment also charges Jakubec with three counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery for heists at San Diego County banks.

Jakubec allegedly took about $54,000 in bank deposits in the three robberies last year and this year, according to the indictment.

The defendant -- in state custody on $5 million bail -- is scheduled to make his first appearance at the U.S. District Courthouse in San Diego next week, possibly Monday.

That same day, according to court records, Jakubec admitted to authorities that he robbed three banks as well as having explosives and weapons at his home.

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Workers begin work on Escondido home to dispose of explosives, I-15 to be closed

ESCONDIDO - Workers began building a protective barrier today alongside a condemned North County home to be burned to the ground to dispose of large amounts of illegal explosive chemicals and other bomb-making paraphernalia found inside it two weeks ago.

The house in the 1900 block of Via Scott in unincorporated Escondido will be set ablaze under tightly controlled conditions sometime next week, likely Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, officials said.

''There is no (other) viable method to render the property safe,'' Sheriff Bill Gore told residents Tuesday night during a community meeting to brief the public on the unusual plan. ''It is ... not habitable. The most effective way is to destroy the residence by fire.''

The stockpile of volatile incendiary materials was uncovered after a 49- year-old landscaper was seriously injured in an explosion while working outside the house.

Early on the afternoon of Nov. 18, Mario Garcia of Fallbrook stepped on something akin to a land mine in the yard, causing a small blast. He was hospitalized for severe burns, cuts and bruises to his arm, body and face.

The resident of the home, 54-year-old George Djura Jakubec, was arrested later that day on suspicion of unlawfully manufacturing and possessing explosives. It remains unclear why Jakubec, who also is accused of committing several recent bank robberies, allegedly created what a prosecutor described as a ''bomb factory.''

The cache of at least nine pounds of compounds often used by terrorists - - including hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, or HMTD -- was ''the largest quantity of these types of homemade explosives (ever found) at one place in the United States,'' Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez told a judge during Jakubec's arraignment.

Jakubec is being held on $5.1 million bail.

To prepare for the destruction of the suspect's former rental home, crews this morning began erecting a 16-foot-high metal-framed wall alongside it to the north. The barrier, to be covered with fire-resistant dry wall and flame- retardant gel, will protect a next-door neighbor's home, sheriff's spokeswoman Melissa Aquino said.

Workers also removed shrubs, trees and wooden fences that could catch fire during the burn, which will take place when climatic conditions -- notably wind patterns -- are as favorable as possible for this time of year.

Earlier this week, the county Air Pollution Control District installed a portable weather station on the roof of nearby Escondido Fire Department Fire Station 3 to get real-time weather patterns and ''minimize surprises'' on the day of the burn, Aquino said.

Hazardous-materials experts, meanwhile, have been strategizing on air monitoring to take place during the prescribed blaze and planning for the subsequent clean-up task.

Additionally, sheriff's officials are meeting with Escondido police and firefighting personnel to plan the evacuation of dozens of homes and traffic- control measures that will be necessary on the day of the controlled fire, Aquino said.

A stretch of nearby Interstate 15 also will be closed during the operation due to its proximity to the contaminated house.

On Wednesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared the San Diego region a disaster area due to the highly dangerous situation in the North County neighborhood.

The governor's decree, granted at the request of the county Board of Supervisors, empowers the California Emergency Management Agency to coordinate the efforts of all involved state agencies and provide assistance to local government bodies.

The disaster designation also allows for the waiver of certain regulations that otherwise could delay the controlled burn.