An Arkansas man made his first court appearance after authorities caught him attempting to blow up a vehicle outside the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
Matthew Dimitri Richardson, 19, of Fayetteville, was spotted by law enforcement on Monday afternoon after a security guard noticed him trying to use a cigarette lighter to ignite a piece of cloth that was hanging from a car’s gas tank. When the officer asked Richardson what he was doing, he said he wanted to “blow up” the vehicle and himself.
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The officer attempted to apprehend the 19-year-old, but he sprinted away from the scene. Richardson was then spotted on security footage, trying to hop the fence into Arlington National Cemetery. He was eventually arrested after he was found hiding near a home in Arlington.
When authorities searched Richardson’s home, they found court documents from a prior arrest on Feb. 22, in which he faced two counts of felony assault on a law enforcement officer in Arlington County. They also uncovered additional materials that could have been used in the attack, including cigarette lighters and gloves.
The owner of the vehicle targeted at the Pentagon was found to be an active-duty service member who does not know Richardson.
Richardson was charged Tuesday with maliciously attempting to damage and destroy by means of fire, a vehicle used in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, according to a release from the Pentagon. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison with a maximum sentence of 20 years.
