Georgia Man Arrested Over Alleged Molotov Cocktail Attack on Atlanta ICE Building, Faces Up to 20 Years

Federal authorities have arrested a 31-year-old man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in Atlanta, Georgia. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took him into custody on Thursday. The accused, Inique Hinton, is from Douglasville, Georgia.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Hinton has been charged with attempted arson of a federal building and depredation of government property. Prosecutors have described the incident as an act of terrorism.

U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg told a news conference: "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."

Prosecutors say security cameras captured Hinton walking near the ICE building at 180 Ted Turner Drive in downtown Atlanta just before 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

Minutes later, he allegedly ignited an object and threw it toward the facility. The object struck the exterior fence and flames spread there.

Investigators say they recovered burned cloth, lighter fluid, a glass bottle and a lighter at the scene, items being presented as evidence supporting the charges.

Atlanta police witnessed the incident and pursued the suspect but were unable to apprehend him that night. The FBI later released images of an unidentified suspect and offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his identification and arrest.

Hinton was eventually arrested by the FBI on Thursday at a residence in Cobb County. "This was obviously an attack directed at the ICE facility," Hertzberg said, adding that prosecutors would respond with "extreme severity" because "we need to send the message that this is not OK."

Hertzberg added: "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."

If convicted of attempted arson, Hinton faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. The government property charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.

The U.S. Attorney also said the Atlanta ICE building had previously been targeted approximately six years earlier, during the summer of 2020. "I want to make very clear we are not going back to that," he said. "We will not tolerate attacks on government property and attacks against federal law enforcement."

Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing. The case will now move through the court process, where the charges against Hinton will be heard.