On Monday, a Santa Barbara County man admitted to detonating a bomb at a courthouse in 2024. The attack was in retaliation for law enforcement seizing his firearms earlier that year. Nathaniel James McGuire, 22, pleaded guilty to using a weapon of mass destruction and maliciously destroying a building with an explosive, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles.
In his plea agreement, McGuire confessed that the bombing in Santa Maria injured three individuals and damaged the courthouse. The attack was intended to kill sheriff’s deputies. McGuire faces up to life in prison at his sentencing hearing on March 1. McGuire’s attorney did not provide any comments at this time.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli stated, “This defendant’s brazen act of terror resulted in physical, structural, and emotional harm, and could have had tragic consequences. Individuals who use bombs against law enforcement officials, judges, and other government personnel must be held accountable and face severe punishment for their actions.”
McGuire acknowledged that on September 24, 2024, he threw a backpack with an explosive device past the courthouse security towards Santa Barbara sheriff’s deputies. The device slid between a victim’s legs and exploded outside a courtroom. Prosecutors reported that McGuire shouted “Liberty or death” when throwing the bag.
At the time of the bombing, McGuire was at the courthouse to answer a firearm charge from a July 28 arrest when deputies discovered him carrying an unregistered, loaded revolver. After the bomb detonated, McGuire went to retrieve two long guns and 10 Molotov cocktails from his car, intending to re-enter the courthouse to target deputies and a judge, as noted in the plea agreement. He was captured while trying to access a red Ford Mustang outside the building.
A witness said the explosion filled the courthouse with smoke. A man being detained by law enforcement seemed to have ammunition spilling from his pockets as officials subdued him on the ground. Shane Mellon, representing a company slated to appear in court, mentioned hearing the man scream loudly. “This could have been much worse,” Mellon remarked.
The courthouse suffered approximately $35,000 in damages and closed for several days, according to the plea agreement. McGuire admitted the bombing was in retaliation for various alleged government actions, including the deputies seizing his weapons earlier that year. Authorities discovered materials related to bomb-making at McGuire’s home, as per the plea agreement.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated, “McGuire launched a vicious, terroristic assault on a court of law with the intent to kill law enforcement officers and a judge. His attack injured three people and, were it not for the quick action of court security and law enforcement, it could have been far worse.”
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