NATO protester gets 3 years in prison for trying to buy pipe bomb
BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN Criminal Courts Reporter rhussain@suntimes.com April 11, 2013 11:22AM
Mark Neiweem
Updated: April 11, 2013 12:09PM
A NATO protester was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday after he admitted he tried to buy a pipe bomb during the protests in Chicago last year.
Mark Neiweem, 28, had been looking to buy pipe-bomb materials, including PVC pipe, caps, glue and model rocket engines, authorities said.
To carry out his plans, Neiweem, of Chicago, had met with associates at a Cook County forest preserve to discuss obtaining parts for a pipe bomb.
He was charged with solicitation for possession of explosives or incendiary devices.
At the time of the 2012 crime, Neiweem was on probation for punching a Chicago Police officer in the face two years before.
Neiweem on Thursday also pleaded guilty to violating probation in the 2010 battery case when he appeared before Cook County Judge Kenneth Wadas.
