Federal agents took a 31-year-old man from Georgia into custody on Thursday for reportedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in downtown Atlanta earlier this week. The incident has been characterized by prosecutors as an “act of terrorism.”
Inique Hinton, who hails from Douglasville, has been charged with attempted arson of a federal building and damage to government property, as stated by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
“An attack on federal property is an attack against our democracy. It’s terrorism and political violence, and it can’t be tolerated,” said US Attorney Theodore Hertzberg during a press briefing.
Prosecutors mention that security video captured Hinton walking near the ICE facility on Ted Turner Drive just before 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
Shortly after, he allegedly ignited a device and hurled it towards the building, hitting the outer fence and igniting flames.
Authorities reported finding charred cloth, lighter fluid, a glass bottle, and a lighter at the scene.
Hinton was apprehended on Thursday by FBI agents at a home in Cobb County.
“This was clearly an attack aimed at the ICE building,” Hertzberg stated, emphasizing that prosecutors would take a strong stance to ensure it sends a clear message that such actions are unacceptable.
“We can discuss immigration and engage in civil conversations, but we can’t permit criminal acts or acts of terror like the one that occurred three days ago in our city,” he added.
Hertzberg also noted that the Atlanta ICE facility was targeted around six years ago during the summer of 2020.
“Let me make it clear: we are not going back to that. We will not accept attacks on government property or on federal law enforcement,” he reiterated.
Atlanta police observed the event and attempted to follow the suspect, but were unable to catch him that night. Later on, the FBI circulated images of an unidentified individual and announced a reward of up to $20,000 for information that could lead to his identification and arrest.
If convicted of attempted arson, Hinton faces a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, while the charge related to government property carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years.
Authorities have indicated that the investigation is still ongoing.
