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Illinois Man Charged with Bringing Explosives to Riot in Minnesota

An Illinois man has been charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office after police say he traveled to Minnesota to participate in a demonstration that quickly devolved into a riot, and that he had handed out explosive devices to people gathered and told them to throw the weapons at police.

June 2, 2020
1 min to read


An Illinois man has been charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office after police say he traveled to Minnesota to participate in a demonstration that quickly devolved into a riot, and that he had handed out explosive devices to people gathered and told them to throw the weapons at police.

According to ABC News, Matthew Lee Rupert has been charged with civil disorder, carrying on a riot, and possession of an unregistered destructive device.

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He reportedly drove from his dwelling in Illinois following the death of George Floyd in order to participate in the civil unrest in the Twin Cities.

In a video posted to social media, Rupert can be heard saying, "They got SWAT trucks up there… I've got some bombs if some of you all want to throw them back… bomb them back… here I got some more… light it and throw it."

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