Federal Officials In NJ Arrest Former SD Student

The attorney for a New Jersey man facing federal charges for transporting explosive materials says his client is not a threat to anyone.

Twenty-year-old Anthony Nicholas Gallo of North Caldwell is charged with traveling to Pennsylvania with an allegedly explosive-packed PVC pipe.

During Gallo's first court appearance Wednesday in a Newark federal courtroom, Assistant U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Joyce Malliet said Gallo was dangerously obsessed with building and detonating explosives. Malliet read from Gallo's alleged Facebook postings, bragging of his exploits.

Authorities say Gallo's dorm room at the University of South Dakota contained would-be explosive materials. He withdrew earlier this year.

Gallo's attorney Steven Martino says the allegations are outdated and his client has been working to turn his life around.