NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Two brothers from Queens allegedly possessed an "arsenal" of weapons—including bombs, ghost guns and assault rifles—as well as "anarchist propaganda" and a "hit list" that targeted "cops, judges, politicians, celebrities" and "banker scum," authorities said Monday as they warned the cache "had the potential to wreak horrendous carnage."
"We cannot measure the number of lives that were saved, but we do know that these weapons will never hurt anyone," Queens D.A. Melinda Katz said in a statement. "Upon securing a search warrant we worked with the NYPD, Homeland Security, State Police and uncovered eight fully operable bombs, several guns and numerous other weapons."
Andrew Hatziagelis, 39, and Angelo Hatziagelis, 51, were hit with a 130-count indictment and are awaiting arraignment, Katz said. Their next court date is Feb. 15.
The eye-popping seizure of explosives and guns was made as part of the Queens D.A.'s crackdown on ghost guns, and the bust involved the NYPD, New York State Police, as well as federal partners at Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspector, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The brothers lived in an apartment complex on 36th Avenue, right across from the Con Edison power plant, officials said. They lived with their mother and a third brother, neither of whom were charged.
Law enforcement descended on their apartment on Jan. 17 to serve a search warrant. During the search, the live explosives were discovered, and the NYPD's bomb squad had to evacuate the building, according to officials.
Among the explosives found, prosecutors said, were eight operational improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and one partially constructed tripwire IED, as well as explosive residue and components to manufacture additional IEDs.
The firearms that were allegedly uncovered included 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; and one partially constructed AK-47–style ghost gun.
The D.A. said other items in the cache included over 600 rounds of ammunition for each of the firearms; one 3D printer; three sets of body armor; six AR/pistol lower receivers; 29 high-capacity ammo-feeding devices, 13 of which were personally made with a 3D printer; tools to assemble ghost guns; metal knuckles; and nine pyrotechnic smoke bombs.
The brothers also had a radio set to the frequency of the 114th Precinct in Astoria, authorities said, as well as "numerous cookbooks" with instructions on the "manufacture of explosive devices and anarchist-related propaganda."
A "hit list" found at the home included "cops, judges, politicians, celebrities" as well as "banker scum," according to prosecutors. It's unclear if the list named anyone specifically.
"Wipe out the scum wipe out the earth," a message on the list reads, according to a copy provided by the D.A.
The two brothers face a massive list of charges, most of them weapons-related, including criminal possession of a weapon in the first, second, third and fourth degrees. They also face charges of criminal possession of a firearm, criminal sale of a firearm, unlawful purchase of body armor, and unlawfully dealing with fireworks and dangerous fireworks, among other charges.
They each face up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the counts.
An investigation into the brothers was launched as part of the Queens D.A.'s ongoing anti-ghost gun efforts. In this case, "prior intelligence" led to an investigation into "the purchase of firearm component parts, accessories, and the manufacture of illegal ghost guns by the defendants," the D.A. said.
The NYPD joined the investigation "to assist in the collection of additional data," which led to the search warrant being issued, according to the D.A.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said in a statement Monday, "Today’s charges underscore the harsh reality that our communities contain a small number of people who conceivably harbor evil intent. This cache of weapons – including explosives and untraceable, 3D-printed ghost guns – had the potential to wreak horrendous carnage."
Homeland Security Investigations New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan said, "the collaboration among various law enforcement agencies led to a discovery that most certainly could have saved lives."
Katz told 1010 WINS that ghost guns are hard to trace—they are unserialized and can be bought online and assembled at home—but she said her office is committed to tracking them down.
"People are making them on the web, they're ordering the parts, they are watching a 30-minute YouTube video, and they're making ghost guns in their apartments and their houses," she said. "We are finding them. It is my mission to find the guns, it's my mission to take them off the street. And we're doing that every single day."
Katz said her office leads the city in the total number of ghost gun recoveries each year since 2021, with 346 firearms, 875 high-capacity magazines, seven 3D printers, and over 113,000 rounds of ammunition recovered. In 2023, Queens led the five boroughs with 113, or 31%, of the 359 ghost guns recovered citywide, she said.