DOJ
A three-count federal grand jury indictment returned today charges a Santa Barbara County man with committing a bomb attack at a courthouse in Santa Maria in which several people were injured.
Nathaniel James McGuire, 20, of Santa Maria, was charged with one count of using a weapon of mass destruction, one count of maliciously damaging a building by means of explosive, and one count of possessing unregistered destructive devices. McGuire has been in custody since his arrest in September, shortly after the attack.
McGuire’s arraignment is scheduled for October 25 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
“The facts alleged in the indictment are disturbing,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “The new charge of using a weapon of mass destruction underscores how seriously we are treating this misconduct and my office’s determination to hold accountable those who seek to bring violence upon our courts, law enforcement personnel, and the public.”
“Any time an individual commits such an act of terror, victims are traumatized and there is a potential for tragic consequences” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “If convicted, Mr. McGuire faces significant prison time thanks to the combined efforts of our local and federal law enforcement partners.”
“We are grateful that the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have taken this serious case to the grand jury, and that they have returned an indictment,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. “This crime shocked our entire community and we are pleased to see that the suspect in this case is being held accountable.”
According to the indictment and criminal complaint, on September 25, McGuire entered a courthouse of Santa Barbara County Superior Court and threw a bag into the lobby. The bag exploded and McGuire left the courthouse on foot. The explosion injured at least five people who were near the bomb when it exploded.
Shortly thereafter, McGuire was apprehended and detained by law enforcement officials as he was trying to access a red Ford Mustang car parked outside the building. McGuire allegedly yelled that the government had taken his guns and that everyone needed to fight, rise up, and rebel.
Inside the car, a deputy saw ammunition, a flare gun, and a box of fireworks. A search of the car revealed a shotgun, a rifle, more ammunition, a suspected bomb, and 10 Molotov cocktails. Law enforcement later rendered the bomb safe. McGuire told law enforcement he intended to re-enter the courthouse with the firearms in order to kill a judge.
A search of McGuire’s residence revealed an empty can with nails glued to the outside, a duffel bag containing matches, black powder, used and unused fireworks, and papers that appeared to be recipes for explosive material.
An indictment is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted of all charges, McGuire would face a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, and Santa Maria Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Takla and Kathrynne N. Seiden of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section are prosecuting this case with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the Counterterrorism Section in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
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Good. Throw the book at him!
“Weapons of Mass Destruction” is extreme overkill on the charges. WMD was intended to refer to nuclear weapons or bio weapons used by governments or terrorist organizations not the fireworks type of stuff shown in the photo (it’s even labeled Fireworks on the package). Stuff like this makes people lose faith in the leaders of this country.
I believed this to be “overkill” also until I found the following: California Penal Code § 11417 defines a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) as various types of weapons and agents that can cause widespread harm or destruction. I’ll guess Federal law also has some statutes that don’t require nuclear/bio weapons to meet the definition of a WMD. So, now I say go for all charges, including WMD, as long as they meet the elements of the crime for state and federal statutes. Get the maximum time after conviction.
For , maybe the first time, I agree with SacJon
I guess it’s good to know everyone can agree on punishing violent extremism!
Clearly this guy’s really out of it and a criminal at this point. No arguing that. No one is defending him. How one equates what he did with WMD’s is almost as crazy though. Wtf?