Federal authorities arrested a 31-year-old man from Georgia for allegedly attacking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in Atlanta with a Molotov cocktail. Prosecutors labeled the incident as an “act of terrorism.”
Inique Hinton, from Douglasville, faces charges of attempted arson of a federal building and damaging government property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg stated, “An attack on federal property is an attack against our democracy. It is an act of terrorism. It is an act of political violence, and it cannot stand.”
Security cameras reportedly captured Hinton near the ICE building on Ted Turner Drive shortly before 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The footage allegedly shows him throwing an ignited object that hit the building’s exterior fence and caused a fire. Investigators found a burned cloth, lighter fluid, a glass bottle, and a lighter at the scene.
Hinton was arrested by the FBI in Cobb County. Hertzberg emphasized the seriousness of the attack on the ICE facility, stating that such actions cannot be tolerated. He explained, “We can talk about immigration, we can have civil discourse, but we cannot allow criminal acts, terroristic acts, like the one that was committed three days ago in our city.”
The FBI released images of the suspect, leading to Hinton’s arrest. He now faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison for attempted arson. If convicted, he could receive a maximum of 20 years for attempted arson and up to 10 years for the government-property charge.
Atlanta police spotted the incident but were unable to capture Hinton at the time. The FBI offered a reward up to $20,000 for information leading to his identification and arrest. Federal authorities continue to investigate the incident.