RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Two men charged in connection with what police have said was a thwarted Fourth of July mass shooting in Richmond, Virginia, were ordered held without bond Monday during brief court hearings that produced no new details about the alleged plot.
Rolman Balcarcel Ac, 38, and Julio Alvarado-Dubon, 52, both from Guatemala, were each arrested on a single charge of possession of a firearm by a non-U.S. citizen after Richmond police said they received a call from a concerned citizen who said he overheard a conversation indicating there was an attack being planned on an Independence Day celebration in the capital city.
Authorities have said both men are in the U.S. illegally.
After receiving the tip, police seized two assault rifles, a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from the Richmond home the two men shared.
In a search warrant affidavit, a Richmond detective said the tipster told police that Balcarcel was planning the attack and showed him three guns on June 21. The tipster also said Balcarcel has connections to the Los Zetas drug cartel, which operates in Mexico and the U.S.
Balcarcel's attorney, Samuel Simpson V, said Monday that he would be “very surprised” if Balcarcel Ac and Alvarado-Dubon were planning a mass shooting.
“It's my understanding that these guys are from Guatemala and they're just here to work," Simpson said.
Simpson also expressed skepticism about the claim that Balcarcel is connected to Los Zetas. “That's a non sequitur to me. That's not a Guatemalan thing,” he said.
Simpson acknowledged that he has not been able to talk to Balcarcel yet and that he does not know yet what evidence police have.
The search warrant affidavit says that after police received the tip, they contacted Homeland Security, then went to a home in...
