Feds resist efforts to unseal Spokane bomb records

SPOKANE, Wash. – A federal prosecutor is trying to block an effort to unseal court records related to the arrest of a man accused of planting a bomb at the Jan. 17 Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Spokane, Wash.

In court papers filed Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Harrington said the danger of impairing an ongoing investigation, the risk of "prejudicial pretrial publicity" and the privacy interests of third parties are sufficient reasons to keep the documents sealed.

The Spokesman-Review says the issue is expected to be argued Thursday before U.S. District Judge Justin Quackenbush.

Kevin Harpham has been indicted on federal charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and possession of an unregistered explosive device. The bomb was disabled before it could explode.