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FBI arrests Georgia man for Molotov cocktail attack on Atlanta ICE facility

Inique Hinton faces five to twenty years in federal prison, same building was targeted once before in the summer of 2020

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Federal prosecutor announces arrest in Molotov cocktail attack on Atlanta ICE building Federal prosecutor announces arrest in Molotov cocktail attack on Atlanta ICE building foxnews.com
Inique Hinton, 31, of Douglasville, Georgia, was arrested and charged with attempted arson of a federal building after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at an ICE facility in downtown Atlanta Inique Hinton, 31, of Douglasville, Georgia, was arrested and charged with attempted arson of a federal building after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at an ICE facility in downtown Atlanta foxnews.com
Surveillance footage allegedly shows a suspect approaching an ICE facility in downtown Atlanta Surveillance footage allegedly shows a suspect approaching an ICE facility in downtown Atlanta foxnews.com
Offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in downtown Atlanta Offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in downtown Atlanta foxnews.com

The FBI has arrested a 31-year-old Georgia man on federal charges of throwing a Molotov cocktail at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in downtown Atlanta, an attack prosecutors say was captured on security cameras and witnessed by city police. Inique Hinton of Douglasville was taken into custody on Thursday at a residence in Cobb County, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia has charged him with attempted arson of a federal building and depredation of government property. Attempted arson of a federal building carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of twenty; the property count carries up to ten.

According to prosecutors, the cameras recorded Hinton walking near the ICE building at 180 Ted Turner Drive just before 8:15 p.m. on October 20. Minutes after approaching the facility, he allegedly ignited an object and threw it toward the building; it struck the exterior fence and flames spread. Investigators recovered burned cloth, lighter fluid, a glass bottle and a lighter at the scene.

Atlanta police attempted to pursue the suspect but were unable to apprehend him that night. The man they could not catch was identified after the FBI released surveillance images of an unidentified suspect and offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his identification; the arrest came two days after the attack.

Announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg noted that the same building had been targeted once before — roughly six years earlier, during the summer of 2020. The ICE facility on Ted Turner Drive has now been attacked twice in roughly six years.