Prosecutor rests case in bridge bomb trial

Associated Press

AKRON

The government has rested its case in the trial of a man accused of plotting to blow up a Cleveland-area bridge by using a cell phone to trigger explosives.

Prosecutors’ final witness, lead investigator Ryan Taylor of the FBI, identified defendant Joshua Stafford on Wednesday as a key member of the conspiracy.

The Plain Dealer newspaper of Cleveland reports that Stafford, who is representing himself, tried to downplay his role in his cross-examination of Taylor.

The 23-year-old Stafford was expected to testify on his own behalf today.

No bomb went off and no one was injured in the plot. The intended target was a highway bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park between Cleveland and Akron.

Four co-defendants previously pleaded guilty.