Everett Basham, Ballsy Engineer With Bomb, Accused of Threatening Sen. Leland Yee

says he was the target of a crazy threat

A Santa Clara man who once worked for Apple's Steve Wozniak is behind bars today after allegedly collecting a cache of destructive devices, including bomb materials and loaded guns, and threatening to harm San Francisco's state senator, Leland Yee.

According to police, 45-year-old Everett Basham was arrested this week after the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department found an explosive, said Sean Kennedy, spokesman for the CHP's Protective Services Division.

Adam Keigwin sent out a press release this morning, confirming the senator was in fact the target of these threats. Naturally, Yee is using this as an opportunity for face time with the press; later today, he will meet with reporters to discuss the threats, which were in response to Yee's efforts to end gun violence, Keigwin told SF Weekly.

See Also: Rush Limbaugh Supporter Sends Leland Yee Death Threats

Authorities are planning to detonate the explosives found in Basham's home at an off-site location later today. According to press reports, Yee had received a rather threatening e-mail about a month ago, describing the threat "unlike any other" he had received before.

And he's certainly received his fair share in the last two years. Remember when Rush Limbaugh supporters faxed Yee borderline incoherent and racist threats?

But this particular threat appeared to be more aggressive and deliberate with an exact plan for injury, Yee's office said.

Yee has been pushing for Senate Bill 47, which would prohibit the use of "bullet buttons" and other devices that allow for swift reloading of military-style assault weapons.

We put in a call to Yee's office and will update this story when we hear back.

Update: Keigwin told us that the threatening e-mail that was much different than any other "racist ranting" Yee's office has received before. "This one was not a rant, it didn't reference his ethnicity, it was methodical and very explicit on what he wanted to do to the senator," Keigwin told us. "And referenced his reason for doing it was because [Yee] was pushing assault weapon legislation and said if the senator continued to push it, he would assassinate him and described how he would do that and the training he had to do it, and the weapons he had to carry it out."

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