Police: Pittsburgh man planted homemade explosives outside PNC Plaza

Pittsburgh police said a man left a backpack full of homemade explosive devices in a bush outside of PNC Plaza in Downtown Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Matthew Michanowicz, 52, of Pittsburgh, is facing three counts of possessing weapons of mass destruction and three counts of arson, according to a criminal complaint.

Police responded to the scene Monday for reports of a suspicious package. After finding the backpack, the Pittsburgh Police Bomb Squad was called to the scene.

Officials determined the devices, if set off, would have caused damage to property and people. A bomb-sniffing dog detected ignitable liquid in the canisters, officials said.

Surveillance footage showed Michanowicz riding a bike, wearing a military-style backpack. Officials said he pulled up to a bike rack in the plaza, looked around for a few seconds and then placed the backpack in the bushes and walked away.

While questioning Michanowicz, he confirmed he was Downtown because he wanted to see damage that occurred after hundreds of people protested racial injustice and the death of George Floyd.

When asked about the backpack, he said “all he did was pick up a paper bag that was in front of the bike rack where he parked his bike and threw it into a trash can,” the complaint reads.

He declined having knowledge about the backpack.

Officers then showed Michanowicz four photos depicting him placing the backpack in the bushes. According to police, Michanowicz said the person in the photos was him and that it was his bike, but he still denied having the backpack.

Michanowicz was placed under arrest and was held at Allegheny County Jail. He posted bond Thursday.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August.