Officials: Photos Show Spokane Mlk Day Bomb Suspect Was at Site

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- A man charged with planting a bomb at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Spokane took photos of himself along the route on the day of the event, federal prosecutors contended Thursday as they provided the first glimpses of evidence against the defendant.

During a court hearing, prosecutors also said suspect Kevin Harpham, 37, took pictures of young black children gathering for the march and of a Jewish man wearing a yarmulke.

Defense attorney Kailey Moran did not dispute the authenticity of any of the images, The Spokesman-Review reported.

The bomb was found and disabled before it could explode on Jan. 17.

Harpham, who has extensive ties to white supremacist groups, has pleaded not guilty to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, committing a hate crime and other charges. He could face life in prison if convicted.

U.S. District Judge Justin Quackenbush ruled in April that documents supporting the indictment and other evidence should remain secret until the trial, which is scheduled for Aug. 22.

Quackenbush, however, indicated Thursday that he will allow prosecutors to present evidence from blog posts they say Harpham made on the racist website Vanguard News Network.

Attorneys went through 47 pages of postings under the pseudonym "Joe Snuffy." Quackenbush allowed racist statements to remain in the case but ordered prosecutors to delete any references to anti-Christian or anti-Semitic views.

Harpham was arrested at 8:45 a.m. on March 9 as he was leaving his home near Addy, Wash. But federal agents apparently did not provide his Miranda warnings until he was taken to the Stevens County Sheriff's Office nearly three hours later.

Because of that, Quackenbush indicated he's likely to disallow any statements Harpham made before he received the warnings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rice said three of Harpham's family members previously appeared before a grand jury and will be called to testify about racist comments made by Harpham.

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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com

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