A troubled Iraq war veteran who believed he was trying to protect Americans from a bloody civil war was busted after riding a Brooklyn bus while carrying a 12-gauge shotgun, machete and an array of ammo, law-enforcement sources said.
Christopher Palumbo, 27, who served three tours in Iraq, was charged with larceny and weapons possession after terrified bus passengers saw the high-powered weaponry slipping from his bag on a bus in Bay Ridge on Tuesday, sources said.
The former Marine said that he was protecting people and trying to prevent the “bloodshed” from an “American Spring,” sources said. Palumbo’s mother said he was deeply affected by serving overseas.
“My son really is a victim,” she told The Post.
“Some of the soldiers come back totally broken and the VA isn’t helping them either.” Palumbo was arrested for slugging a 68-year-old man in November, sources said.
According to WNBC-TV he also felt guilty for not preventing 9/11.