LA man seen throwing Molotov cocktail into federal building, feds say

Federal authorities released new images of the suspect accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a downtown federal building in Los Angeles on Monday, identifying him as 54-year-old Jose Francisco Jovel.

Jovel, a Los Angeles resident who allegedly carried out “an attack law enforcement believes was motivated by anti-immigration enforcement sentiment,” is expected to make an initial federal court appearance Wednesday afternoon on a charge of attempted malicious damage of federal property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

“This case exemplifies how misleading and hateful rhetoric against federal law enforcement can and does result in violence,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “Irresponsible rhetoric by politicians and activists have real-world consequences. It must stop.” 

“During his arrest, Jovel said he was motivated by his anger at the federal government of its immigration policies and actions,” the Attorney’s Office added. “Jovel described his actions as ‘a terrorist attack’ and said to the officers, ‘you’re separating families’ – a remark commonly made by opponents of current United States government immigration policies. He then yelled for people to ‘start shooting these,’ referring to the officers.”

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One image released by authorities allegedly shows Jovel on the steps of the building, while another allegedly shows incendiary devices. The suspect attempted to detonate the devices, but they did not ignite, investigators said.

If convicted, Jovel would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, federal authorities said.

Authorities said that before Jovel went to the federal building Monday morning, he intentionally lit his rented apartment on fire. Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded, and an arson investigator determined an accelerant was used in that fire.

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The federal building in downtown Los Angeles houses the U.S. Attorney’s office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), among other agencies, and is where the processing of many illegal immigrants takes place. 

The suspect was accused of throwing one of the Molotov cocktails into a door marked as an employee entrance, investigators said, adding that the incendiary device broke into pieces, had charring on it and was believed to be lit on fire. The suspect then allegedly threw a second Molotov cocktail through a separate public door where people were lining up to go through security.

“There can be zero tolerance for any targeting of law enforcement officials – let alone violent acts – and we’re lucky that the devices allegedly thrown by the subject did not physically injure anyone,” Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said in a statement. “The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is dedicated to investigating and holding accountable anyone who conducts targeted attacks against government employees.” 

Fox News’ Matt Finn and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.