A man in Washington has pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and weapons charges.

Kevin Harpham reached a plea deal with prosecutors Wednesday, as he acknowledged planting a homemade, backpack bomb along the route of a parade in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. earlier this year.

The deal, if approved by a district court, will result in a prison sentence of between 27 and 32 years for Harpham. The deal also stipulates a lifetime term of court supervision after his release.

The 37-year-old Harpham said in court Wednesday that he placed the backpack bomb along the route January 17 in an attempt to commit a hate crime. Authorities found and defused the device before it could explode.

He pleaded guilty just days before his trial was to start.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization that tracks hate groups, says Harpham has ties to white supremacists.

Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated in 1968, was one of the leaders of the civil rights movement that helped African-Americans achieve equal legal status with Caucasians in the United States. Communities all over the nation celebrate the anniversary of his January birthday with parades and ceremonies.