Robert Infante, the Alfred man who allegedly blew a piece of his finger off with an illegal pipe bomb Friday, had his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Portland this morning.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office have asked that Infante not be released until a hearing on bail conditions that is scheduled for Thursday.

Rescue workers were called to Infante’s house in Alfred Friday morning for a report of an explosion. On the way, they encountered Infante driving himself to the hospital, his left hand wrapped in a bloody shirt, according to court papers.

Once he arrived at Southern Maine Medical Center, police cordoned off the area around his car and the State Police bomb squad recovered five pipe bombs inside. Back at his house, investigators found pipe bombs and equipment used in making them as well as a marijuana growing operation, the court papers said.

Infante has a prior conviction for possessing a destructive device in Vermont in 1988 and told investigators he is fascinated by pipe bombs, the court papers said.

The government has 30 days to present the case against Infante to a federal grand jury to see whether there are any additional charges to the single charge of possession of a destructive device.