A 31-year-old Douglasville man has been arrested and charged in connection with a Molotov cocktail attack on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Atlanta earlier this week.
Inique Hinton was taken into custody Friday in Cobb County, according to WSB-TV. He now faces federal charges of attempted arson of a federal building and depredation of government property, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said in a press release.
Authorities say Hinton was captured on camera Tuesday walking near the ICE building at 180 Ted Turner Drive before igniting an object and throwing it toward the facility. The device struck a fence and burst into flames. Investigators who responded to the scene recovered burned cloth, lighter fluid, a glass bottle and a lighter. Hinton reportedly left the area before officers arrived.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg condemned the attack in a statement.
“Attacking a federal building with an incendiary device like a Molotov cocktail is a despicable, terroristic crime that warrants an immediate and severe response. My office will relentlessly investigate, pursue, and prosecute any act of arson targeting government institutions and will ensure that the perpetrators bear the full consequences of their actions.”
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Atlanta Police Department, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The office said the prosecution falls under the nationwide National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 initiative, a White House-directed interagency effort described as working to protect First Amendment rights while targeting individuals and organizations engaged in political violence. The effort is coordinated by the investigative and prosecutorial Joint Task Force Vanguard.
