DETROIT -- A lawyer for an Imperial Beach man accused of planning to attack a Michigan mosque said he is concerned about his client's mental state and that he doesn't believe his client meant to hurt anyone.

Attorney Mark Haidar said 63-year-old Roger Stockham told him Tuesday that he did not plan to blow up the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.

Haidar also said he will ask the courts for a mental competency evaluation for his client.

"He obviously has some mental issues in his past and I do believe those have surfaced again," said Haidar.

Stockham was arrested near the mosque during a Jan. 24 traffic stop. Police say he was wearing a ski mask and had powerful fireworks in his car that are illegal in Michigan.

"I don't think he was capable," said Haidar. "Let's assume he had the intent. He wouldn't have been capable of hurting anybody anyways."

Stockham claimed he was an Army helicopter pilot who had medals for his service in Vietnam but has a long history of serving time both in federal prisons and mental institutions.

In 1985, Stockham testified that his anger stemmed from when he was ordered to stay in Vietnam on the day he was supposed to end his tour. He told a Nevada court, "There are no words to describe how angry I was. I am still not over it."

10News found that more than 15 percent of all male Vietnam veterans have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Of that number, almost half have been arrested or in jail at least once and almost 12 percent have been convicted of a felony.

Stockham was released in 2005 from the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners on the condition he refrain from drinking alcohol and continue psychiatric treatment.

A Detroit bar manager said Stockham was drinking at the bar the day of his arrest.

If convicted, Stockham could face 40 years in prison.