A 31-year-old Georgia man was arrested Friday and faces federal charges in connection with an attempted firebombing outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in downtown Atlanta earlier in the week.
Inique Hinton of Douglasville was taken into custody in Cobb County following the Tuesday incident at the federal facility located at 180 Ted Turner Drive, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Federal prosecutors have charged Hinton with attempted arson of a federal building and depredation of government property.
Investigators said surveillance footage captured the suspect walking near the ICE installation before igniting an incendiary device and hurling it toward the property. The object struck a perimeter fence and burst into flames. Responding law enforcement personnel recovered physical evidence at the scene, including a glass bottle, burned cloth, lighter fluid, and a lighter. Photographs from the area also showed a plastic bag containing items linked to the materials found by investigators. The suspect reportedly left the area on foot before authorities arrived.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg condemned the attack in a public statement released following the arrest, emphasizing the severity of targeting public institutions with explosive devices.
“Attacking a federal building with an incendiary device like a Molotov cocktail is a despicable, terroristic crime that warrants an immediate and severe response,” Hertzberg said. “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 Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the ongoing inquiry into the incident, receiving operational assistance from the Atlanta Police Department.
Federal officials noted that the investigation falls under the nationwide National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 initiative. The White House-directed interagency effort integrates federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to safeguard First Amendment protections while aggressively targeting individuals and organizations involved in political violence. That initiative is spearheaded by the investigative and prosecutorial body known as Joint Task Force Vanguard.
