Death raysProsecutors ask for confidentiality in NY “Death Ray” case

Published 28 March 2014

Glendon Scott Crawford,a former General Electric Co. industrial mechanic, is standing trails in Albany, New York, for developed a radiological dispersal device which he tried to sell to both the KKK and to Jewish organizations so they could use it to kill Muslims. Several experts argued the device would not work since it would require massive amounts of electricity, weigh enough to crush most vehicles and would require victims to remain still in order to face prolonged exposure from close-range radiation.

Glendon Scott Crawford leaving court // Source: siasat.pk

A criminal case in Albany, New York may soon have a layer of secrecy as the trial of Glendon Scott Crawford, the inventor of a purported mobile X-ray weapon intended to harm religious minorities, begins to move forward. The trial, scheduled for 29 April, has earned a great deal of notoriety as tech experts argue over whether such a device could be constructed. In an additional twist, prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office have asked U.S. District Court Judge Gary Shape to issue an order which would allow the sharing of details of the weapon, which has been referred to as a “death ray,” only between the parties, and which would otherwise keep these details secret.

In January, 49-year-old Crawford was indicted in the town of Providence on charges of attempting to produce and use a radiological dispersal device, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and distributing information relating to weapons of mass destruction. As theDaily Gazette reports, for the past two years prior Crawford had been offering his garage-built weapon to groups such as the Ku Klux Klan in order to target Muslims. Eventually, both a Jewish and Klan organization reported him to federal authorities. Using undercover agents, the FBI interacted with Crawford and mounted a case claiming that, at the least, the weapon could cause substantial injury (see “Two men charged with planning an ‘X-ray weapon’’ to kill Muslim enemies of U.S., Israel,” HSNW, 20 June 2013).

According to the FBI, “Crawford was able to draw up a schematic and assemble parts to create a system,” and was “a former General Electric Co. industrial mechanic.” Additionally, Eric Feight, 55, “produced a remote device that would allow him (Crawford) to operate the truck-mounted X-ray from nearly a half-mile away.” Feight was also taken into custody and is charged with “providing material support to terrorists.”

The Gazette goes on to mention that “Several experts have scoffed at the idea that such a device could work since it would require massive amounts of electricity, weigh enough to crush most vehicles and would require victims to remain still in order to face prolonged exposure from close-range radiation,” making the case for classification all the more surprising.

The U.S. Attorney’s office has countered in the issued order, however, saying that the classification is for “protecting public safety and reducing the likelihood of similar attempts by others.”