New York City couple accused of possession of explosive material

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A New York City man and woman have been arrested in Manhattan, accused of possession of an explosive substance and a sawed off shotgun, authorities say.

The pair also had a document that appears to be titled "The Terrorist Encyclopedia," according to court documents.

Aaron Greene, 31, and Morgan Gliedman, 27, are charged with felony possession of an explosive with intent to use, and felony criminal possession of a weapon, the district attorney's office said.

Shortly after her arrest, Gliedman went into labor and gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Melody, according to Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne.

Police say officers discovered the explosive substance at the couple's Greenwich Village apartment while serving a warrant related to four counts of felony grand larceny against Gliedman involving credit card theft in February.

In addition to a plastic container found in the living room containing "a white powdery substance," officers also found the sawed-off shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition, police said.

There also were numerous written items containing instructions on making explosive materials and bombs, police said, including the collection of pages that had a cover page saying "the terrorist encyclopedia."

Fearing the substance to be an explosive material, police evacuated several buildings in the area Saturday morning.

Sgt. Michael DeMarfio of the New York Police Department Bomb Squad later tested the powdery substance and confirmed that it was 7 grams of hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, or HMTD, which, according to court documents, is a highly explosive substance used in bombs.

According to her Facebook account, Gliedman has an impressive educational pedigree. She claims to have attended The Dalton School, an Upper East Side Manhattan private prep school; the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University; and the School of The Art Institute of Chicago, where she earned a master's degree in creative writing.

Police said Greene has had four prior run-ins with law enforcement, including a 2005 assault case for which he was sentenced to a year in jail and an arrest in February for alleged possession of a rifle, heroin, marijuana, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia. On the latter occasion, Gliedman also was arrested and charged, police said.

According to the district attorney's office, Greene was arraigned Sunday afternoon and has a Friday court date. Gliedman is awaiting arraignment.

Greene's attorney, Lisa Pelosi, declined to comment Monday morning.