A suspect will be arraigned on Thursday for a deadly package explosion last year that killed a 73-year-old man.
Victor Kingsley, 37, was arrested on Wednesday in Brooklyn. The NYPD and FBI descended on his home on East 43rd Street in East Flatbush to take him into custody.
On August 1st of last year, Kingsley allegedly sent an explosive package to the home of George Wray in Queens. Wray suffered serious burns and later died at the hospital.
“George Wray was an unintended and innocent victim of this cowardly attack. He died a violent, terrible and extraordinarily painful death,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller said.
Wray wasn’t the intended target. Instead, police believe Kingsley was targeting an NYPD officer who he believed lived at the home.
“We believe the IED was retaliatory for an arrest of Kingsley in January of 2014 that happened on this very block,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.
The NYPD said Kingsley methodically sought revenge against the officers involved in his arrest. That included internet searches and telephone calls to determine where they lived.
"Kingsley's cowardly act was meant to target a New York City Police Officer for doing his job and resulted in the tragic death of an unintended victim," Police Commissioner James O'Neill said.
The NYPD said the Kingsley acquired the explosive device components with online purchases through Amazon. He then arranged for the device to be placed outside the home where he believed one of the officers lived.
Kingsley is charged with using a weapon of mass destruction. He could face a sentence of life in prison, if convicted.
“This was a case where the NYPD Detective Bureau, Intelligence Bureau, and FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force combined their expertise and unique talents to find a needle in a haystack - the clues that would lead to the identification of a bomber who went to great lengths to remain hidden,” O’Neill said.
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