Atty: Mosque plot suspect says he meant no harm

DETROIT (AP) — A lawyer for a California man accused of planning to attack a Michigan mosque says he’s concerned about his client’s mental state and that he doesn’t believe his client meant to hurt anyone.

Attorney Mark Haidar says 63-year-old Roger Stockham told him today that he didn’t plan to blow up the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.

Stockham was arrested near the mosque during a Jan. 24 traffic stop. Police say he was wearing a ski mask and had powerful fireworks in his car that are illegal in Michigan.

Stockham was released in 2005 from the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners on the condition he refrain from drinking alcohol and continue psychiatric treatment.

A Detroit bar manager says Stockham was drinking at the bar the day of his arrest.