A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an attempted arson attack on a federal building housing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices in downtown Atlanta, authorities said Friday.
Inique Hinton, of Douglasville, was arrested Friday night at a home in Cobb County, Atlanta police said. He faces federal charges of arson and damaging government property.
The incident happened Tuesday at the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Office at 180 Ted Turner Drive. At about 9 p.m., the suspect threw an improvised incendiary device toward the facility, but it became caught on top of the perimeter fence.
An Atlanta police officer nearby witnessed the incident and tried to catch the suspect on foot, but he fled the scene. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Atlanta police are investigating the case.
DHS released images of the device and the fence where it became lodged. In a statement, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin condemned the attack and warned that violence against ICE personnel and facilities would not be tolerated. He said anyone who targets federal law enforcement would face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.
The FBI had offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspect before Hinton was taken into custody.
Hinton is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court on Monday. The arson charge carries a potential sentence of five to 20 years in federal prison, while the charge of damaging government property carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, according to the information provided by authorities.