Salem Man Arraigned for Possessing Materials Used to Create Explosive Devices

SALEM – The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO), in partnership with the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) and the Salem Police Department, recently announced that Patrick Gordon, 42, of Salem was arrested and arraigned following an investigation that recovered illegal firearm devices and large quantities of materials that could be used to make incendiary devices. Gordon was arraigned in Salem District Court on the charges of Possession of an Incendiary Device and Possession of an Assault Weapon. His bail was set at $100,000 and his next court hearing will be on January 20, 2026. 

On December 15, MSP received information that Gordon, who does not have a valid License to Carry or Firearm Identification Card, had ordered and shipped large capacity magazines to his mother’s home in Bedford, New Hampshire. Investigators soon learned that over the past six months, Gordon had also ordered several firearm-related items and a kit that can create four pounds of thermite to his apartment on Harbor Street in Salem.  

Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant at Gordon’s apartment on December 22, which uncovered several firearm components in violation of Massachusetts gun laws, including firearm parts commonly used in assault rifles, and a 3D printer that the AGO alleges Gordon used to manufacture ghost guns. Investigators seized large quantities of fuels and oxidizers that, when used alone or in combination, could be used to make destructive or incendiary devices. Investigators also located an unknown amount of Flash Powder – a highly energetic pyrotechnic mixture commonly associated with fireworks that burns quickly and produces a sudden bright flash. Flash Powder is very sensitive to heat, shock, static electricity, and friction and is illegal to possess in any amount. 

These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.     

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Diana Fantasia with assistance from Chief Jennifer Kirshenbaum of the AGO’s Enterprise and Major Crimes Division. MSP’s Fire and Explosion Investigation Section and Salem Police Department provided substantial assistance with the investigation. 

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