U.S. Attorney charges Inique Hinton over alleged Molotov cocktail throw at Atlanta ICE building

If convicted, Hinton faces up to 20 years for the arson charge

Federal prosecutors charged Inique Hinton, a 31-year-old Georgia man from Douglasville, on Friday with attempted arson of a federal building and depredation of government property. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged that Hinton threw a Molotov cocktail at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday night.

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, security cameras allegedly captured Hinton igniting an item and then throwing it toward the multistory brick building Tuesday night. The statement said the item hit the fence and caused flames to spread.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said investigators later found burned cloth, lighter fluid, a glass bottle and a lighter at the scene.

The building is surrounded by a metal fence and contains offices for ICE as well as an immigration court.

If convicted, Hinton faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the arson charge and up to 10 years for depredation, according to Hertzberg.

Hertzberg described law enforcement’s quick work to find the suspect as “exemplary.” He said during a news conference, “We are going to respond with extreme severity when it comes to prosecuting this conduct because we need to send a message that this is not OK.”

Hinton was arrested at a home in an Atlanta suburb and was taken into custody peacefully, according to officials. Hertzberg said he was not aware of Hinton having a history of criminal convictions.

Court records did not list an attorney for Hinton. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and a public defender’s office did not immediately respond to emails asking if he had an attorney.