Police: Man had lab and ‘explosives that could level a block' in Mayfair rowhome

A 28-year-old man has been arrested and charged with possessing weapons of mass destruction after fire crews responding to a fire at his home allegedly discovered an explosives manufacturing lab and "explosives that could level a block."

On Wednesday, officials with the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced that Evgenii Sadrislamov, 28, of Mayfair, has been arrested and charged after explosives were allegedly found in his home on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.

On that evening, fire crews responded to a fire reported at a rowhome along the 7100 block of Montague Street, at about 7:17 p.m.

Upon arrival, police said, smoke was coming from the garage and interior of the house. Firefighters rescued a man and woman from the residence and attended to their medical needs.

No injuries were reported in the fire.

While they were working on extinguishing this fire, Deputy Commissioner of the Philadelphia Fire Department, James Kelly, said that fire crews discovered explosive making materials and an explosive manufacturing lab at the property.

"Evidence of an explosive manufacturing lab was found in the basement and garage," he said.

In fact, Kelly said, crews recovered "in excess of 50 pounds of explosives" in the rowhome.

"We really escaped a major tragedy on this one," said Kelly.

They also recovered tools and materials to make homemade fireworks and small improvised explosives, Kelly said.

"Today we are fortunate to be talking about a defendant charged with only endangering himself, his family, and his neighborhood with his illegal explosives lab," said Eric DeGree, a special agent with the Philadelphia division of the ATF.

DeGree said that Sadrislamov possessed enough explosive materials that he could have not only "leveled the building" but could have killed or injured those in homes all along his residential block.

"We could be providing you with a briefing on how his extremely hazardous activities killed himself, his family, not to mention how much injury death and destruction his neighbors may have suffered because of his activates," he continued. "He clearly knew that he was engaging in dangerous illegal activity."

Also, according to Assistant District Attorney Angela Brennan, Sadrislamov had a prior arrest for similar activity -- though, she noted, that prior arrest in 2020 was for possessing commercial grade fireworks.

"There has been a clear escalation of the sophistication and scale of the operation in which this defendant had been possessing throughout the years," Brennan.

Following that arrest and conviction, Brennan said Sadrislamov was placed on probation, and he is still on probation for that case.

"This was a huge danger to the community. A rowhome processed explosives that could level a block," she said.

Sadrislamov has been charged with possessing weapons of mass destruction, arson, reckless endangerment and related offenses.

He is in custody on $950,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 22, 2024, officials said.