Friends rally behind San Francisco man accused of having explosives

Friends of a San Francisco man accused of possessing bomb-making materials rallied to his aid this week, contributing thousands of dollars to a defense fund as court documents shed light on the case against him.

“He’s facing a really serious charge, but nobody should be tried in the press. Let’s help him out,” read a message on a crowd-funding website for Ryan Chamberlain II’s defense fund. “A little love instead of fear in the world goes a long way.”

On Tuesday, Bay Area federal prosecutors announced that they had charged Chamberlain, 42, with possessing an illegal explosive device, a crime that can bring up to 10 years in prison. In an unsealed affidavit, authorities say they found all the makings of an improvised explosive device (IED) — including explosive powder, electronic fuses and ball bearings and nails that can be used as deadly shrapnel — in a bag in his apartment.

Chamberlain was arrested Monday evening near the Golden Gate Bridge after a three-day manhunt. Meanwhile, more than 80 friends and family have pooled more than $10,000 in less than 24 hours, according to the fund’s page.

Adriel Hampton, 35, a former Bay Area political reporter, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he set up the fund. Chamberlain is well known in San Francisco political circles and worked on Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s successful 2003 mayoral campaign.

“I want people to know that this guy has a community. He’s not just a crazy terrorist. He’s obviously going through a crisis,” Hampton told the Chronicle. “I’m glad he was arrested, and he’s not dead. I thought he had killed himself.”

In a three-page letter sent to friends through social media, Chamberlain lamented recent heartbreak, a job loss and perceived betrayals. He said goodbye to his friends and family and told them he loved them.

When asked what Chamberlain allegedly planned to do with the materials found inside his home, FBI Special-Agent-in-Charge David J. Johnson said at a news conference: “We weren’t exactly sure.”

Authorities wanted to find Chamberlain “before he had an opportunity to do anything,” Johnson said Tuesday. “Not saying he was planning any type of those activities .... We wanted to make sure public safety was our No. 1 concern and we wanted to take care of that mission.”

According to the indictment, investigators spoke with Chamberlain just before they searched his Polk Street apartment. On Saturday, they stopped Chamberlain as he was walking into his building.

Chamberlain spoke with an investigator at a nearby coffee shop and admitted using his laptop to play poker on “black market” websites, court documents allege.

Immediately after the conversation, prosecutors said, Chamberlain got into his car and ditched investigators trying to follow him.

He was “observed driving in an apparent reckless manner at a high rate of speed, failing to stop at posted lights and signs,” the document stated. Back at Chamberlain’s apartment, investigators found the suspected bomb-making material in a satchel next to his laptop on the kitchen table.

According to the indictment, the bag contained a screw-top glass jar holding batteries and a green powder, believed to be explosive, surrounding a motor for a model rocket, wire conductors, ball bearings and screws believed to be projectiles, a wire extending from the lid and a circuit board that could be used for a timed, remote detonation.

On a shelf next to the kitchen was a tool box with additional components, including a “clothespin switch” that officials say could be used in an IED or booby-trap.