A court in Santa Barbara County was the site of a bomb attack on September 25, which injured five people; now the man allegedly responsible is facing serious federal charges, according to information released by the U.S. Department of Justice. Twenty-year-old Santa Maria resident Nathaniel James McGuire stands accused in the indictment of one count of using a weapon of mass destruction, one count of maliciously damaging a building by means of explosive, and one count of possessing unregistered destructive devices, details the Department of Justice's press release.
The situation escalated on the morning of the attack when McGuire, scheduled for arraignment on gun charges the same day, reportedly entered the courthouse and sparked the explosion by throwing a bag at the security checkpoint then attempted to escape towards his parked red Ford Mustang, as officials from the United States Department of Justice later revealed, but he was quickly apprehended by a court security officer, a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy and a California Highway Patrol officer, details from KTLA.
During the arrest, McGuire allegedly declared his intent to rebel against a government he claimed had taken his guns, according to a DOJ news release, which also noted investigators found a flare gun, ammunition, several firearms, suspected bombs, and Molotov cocktails in his car; a later search at his home uncovered bomb-making materials and written recipes for explosives. "The facts alleged in the indictment are disturbing," said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, voicing the gravity felt by the Justice Department over McGuire's conduct and their commitment to hold him accountable.
Acknowledgment of the trauma inflicted by this act of terror was expressed by FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis, who remarked on the potential for even more tragic outcomes and highlighted the coordinated law enforcement efforts that could result in significant prison time for McGuire. If convicted on all charges, McGuire will face a minimum of seven years to a potential life sentence in prison
McGuire's arraignment is penciled for October 25 in a federal court in Los Angeles, with the case being shepherded by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Takla and Kathrynne N. Seiden of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section. With additional support from Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the Counterterrorism Section in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
