Man accused of blowing up ATM in Mass. arrested by FBI
A man who prosecutors say planted a bomb at an ATM in Woburn was arrested by federal officials on Wednesday, according to court records.
Christopher Silva faces a single charge of maliciously damaging any property used in interstate commerce in connection with the incident on Sept. 4 at a shopping plaza in Woburn off Interstate 95.
Surveillance video from the area near the Eastern Bank ATM showed a person, who police say they identified as Silva, approach the device around 4:12 a.m. The person wore a blue balaclava, yellow glasses on their head, a black jumpsuit with orange markings, a black and grey-colored backpack, and dark colored sneakers with red markings.
In the footage, the person can be seen walking up to the ATM, then placing a brown or tan object on the bottom right corner. When the object began to emit smoke, the person ran away. The object exploded several seconds later, causing “significant damage to the frame and the lower right section of the ATM,” Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Callahan wrote in an affidavit.
Several days after the explosion, the blue balaclava, glasses and jumpsuit seen in the footage were found in a nearby shared parking lot, which is accessible by foot from the ATM. DNA taken from the balaclava matched Silva, according to the affidavit.
Police also found surveillance video from a nearby restaurant showing Silva walking toward the ATM around 4 a.m., then walking away around 15 minutes later, Callahan said. No one else was seen on the footage during that time.
On Wednesday, the FBI and other law enforcement officials searched Silva’s home in Stoneham, where they found a backpack matching the one seen on the surveillance footage.
During an initial appearance in federal court on Wednesday, Silva agreed to be detained while his case is pending. He faces up to 20 years in prison .
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