Georgia Man Charged in Molotov Cocktail Attack on Atlanta ICE Office

A 31-year-old Georgia man is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he threw a Molotov cocktail at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in downtown Atlanta earlier this week, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Inique Hinton of Douglasville was arrested Friday at a residence in Cobb County, hours after a federal magistrate judge issued a criminal complaint charging him with attempted arson of a federal building and depredation of government property, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release. FBI Atlanta announced the arrest in a post on X Friday evening.

Arrested! FBI Atlanta this afternoon arrested Inique Hinton, from Douglasville, on federal charges after he allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the Atlanta Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building earlier this week. More details here: https://t.co/4f3dOYeyyr @NDGAnews… pic.twitter.com/PUwRXnwUB5

— FBI Atlanta (@FBIAtlanta) October 24, 2026

According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, security cameras captured Hinton walking near the ICE building at 180 Ted Turner Drive at about 8:12 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Minutes later, prosecutors allege, he lit an item and threw it toward the building. The device struck the exterior fence and flames spread, the release said. Investigators later recovered burned cloth, lighter fluid, a glass bottle and a lighter at the scene, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The Department of Homeland Security said in an Oct. 22 statement that the incendiary device failed to clear the perimeter and got caught on top of the fence. DHS said an Atlanta Police Department officer nearby saw the attack and chased the suspect on foot, but he got away.

The building is more than an ICE office. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that it houses the Atlanta Immigration Court, Homeland Security Investigations legal offices and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.

‘Extreme severity’

At a Friday night news conference, Hertzberg called the attack a “terroristic act” and said Hinton will be prosecuted with “extreme severity,” WSB-TV reported. “It’s an attack against our democracy,” Hertzberg said, according to the station.

FOX 5 Atlanta reported that FBI agents took Hinton into custody shortly after 6 p.m. Friday at a home on Panda Lane that was familiar to him but was not his primary residence, and that he surrendered peacefully. According to the station, investigators from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and Atlanta police arrived within an hour of the attack to collect evidence, and federal search warrants were still being carried out Friday evening.

Before the arrest, the FBI had offered a $20,000 reward for help identifying the suspect seen in surveillance photos, WSB-TV reported.

Hertzberg said the arson charge carries a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, and the property charge carries up to 10 more years, according to FOX 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV.

A rising threat to ICE officers

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin linked the attack to a wider pattern in the department’s Oct. 22 statement. “This latest attack is part of a dangerous and unacceptable escalation of violence against the men and women of ICE who are simply enforcing the laws of the United States,” Mullin said. He blamed “irresponsible rhetoric from sanctuary politicians and radical activists” and said ICE officers face a more than 1,600% increase in assaults. “Anyone who targets federal law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Mullin said.

Homeland Security Investigations said in a post on X that it stands with its federal, state and local partners in the case.

Authorities have not announced a motive or said whether Hinton acted alone, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Hertzberg said he was not aware of any prior criminal convictions, according to the station. A criminal complaint contains only allegations, and Hinton is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia
• Department of Homeland Security
• WSB-TV
• FOX 5 Atlanta
• FBI Atlanta on X

Reporting by Daily Beltway.