WASHINGTON (AP) — A New Jersey man was sentenced on Monday to nearly six years in prison for taking homemade explosive devices to a Washington, D.C., church that was preparing for an annual Mass celebrating the start of the Supreme Court’s term.
Louis Geri declined to address the court before U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss sentenced him to five years and 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Moss said he balanced the danger that Geri poses to the public with the defendant's history of “very serious mental health issues” and his need for adequate treatment.
“This was an extremely serious offense,” the judge said. “It may have been carried out in a bizarre manner, but the threat of violence was a serious one.”
Geri was arrested on Oct. 5, 2025, outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where police officers were clearing the area before the annual Red Mass. Police said they found in Geri’s possession paperwork that expressed “significant animosity” toward the Roman Catholic Church, Jewish people and the Supreme Court. Some justices usually attend the celebration, but none went to last year’s ceremony.
On steps outside the church, Geri had set up a tent containing more than 100 homemade explosives along with a nine-page “list of written demands,” according to a court filing. Geri told police that he had explosive devices and said “several of your people are gonna die from one of these” if his demands weren’t met, the filing says.
Geri's written demands included requests for money, for an “expatriation flight” to Japan and for the Supreme Court to remove Arizona from the United States.
“The defendant’s intent was clear: If his list of demands was not met, innocent people would die and prominent, historic landmarks, such as the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court, and the White House, would be destroyed,” prosecutors wrote.
Geri's attorney said the Vineland, New Jersey, native, who had traveled to Washington from Arkansas, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder more than two decades ago and had stopped taking his medication in the months leading up to his arrest outside the church.
“His conduct was the product of a treatable medical condition spiraling out of control, not malice or an actual intent to harm,” defense attorney Elizabeth Mullin wrote.
Geri pleaded guilty in March to two felony counts: illegal possession of a destructive device and extortion by wrongful use of force, violence or fear.
Geri and prosecutors agreed that a prison term ranging from five years and 10 months to seven years and three months would be appropriate. Moss wasn't bound by that recommendation, but Geri could have withdrawn his guilty plea if the judge had imposed a longer sentence.
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The U.S. Supreme Court is seen Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The head of Ethiopia’s army suggested that neighboring Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt were supporting rebel troops who have captured several strategic towns in renewed fighting in the north, drawing denials as the threat of a widening regional conflict grew on Monday.
Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, the chief of the general staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, on Friday accused Eritrea of mobilizing financial support for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF.
He said that Eritrea and the TPLF would need support from Sudan and Egypt, insinuating external interference, but without explaining further.
The TPLF and Ethiopian federal troops waged war between November 2020 and November 2022, when a peace deal was signed in Pretoria, South Africa. A caretaker administration seen as loyal to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was installed in Mekelle, the Tigray capital. But tensions remained, with the TPLF maneuvering for political control in Mekelle.
Over the weekend, TPLF fighters captured the key strategic town of Erebti in the northern Afar region, a commander told The Associated Press on Monday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak with the media.
An official with the Tigray Peace Force, a breakaway faction of the Tigray rebels now allied with federal forces in Afar, confirmed that the rebels took control of the town, although he denied that heavy fighting had taken place.
Doctors Without Borders, better known by its French acronym MSF, on Monday said that there had been a surge in the number of wounded receiving treatment in the north.
The number of patients in the Korem and Alamata hospitals rose from around 180 to more than 420 in 48 hours. MSF said that 300 wounded had arrived at northeastern Suhul Hospital last week.
Valerie Browning, the co-founder of the Afar Pastoralist Development Association, told The Associated Press about 150,000 people had been displaced.
Ethiopian federal authorities accused the TPLF of seeking to build an alliance with neighboring Eritrea to destabilize Ethiopia. Abiy’s push for sovereign access to the Eritrean seaport of Assab has reignited tensions with Eritrea, which shares a border with Tigray. Abiy also angered Somalia by trying to negotiate access to the sea via the territory of Somaliland.
Eritrea accused Ethiopia of shifting blame for the ongoing conflict. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Meskel wrote on X that Ethiopia’s pursuit of access to the sea had rattled Eritrea and Somalia, while its move to host militia training in support of Sudan's militia had put Ethiopia at odds with its neighbors.
A spokesperson for the Sudanese armed forces, in a statement, rejected Ethiopia's accusations, saying that Ethiopia was offering support to militias fighting the Sudanese military, an apparent reference to the Rapid Support Forces, which have been battling Sudan's army since 2023.
Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian forces against the TPLF in the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict. The civilian death toll was estimated by Ghent University researchers to be 500,000, including from violence, famine and the collapse of health services.
People walk in Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, as fighting escalates with the central government, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo)
People walk in Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region, as fighting escalates with the central government, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo)
FILE - Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) fighters attend an orientation session in western Oromia, Ethiopia, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo, File)
