A Marine Corps reservist charged with shooting at military buildings last year videotaped himself firing a handgun out of a moving vehicle at the National Museum of the Marine Corps while saying “Allahu Akbar!,” an Islamic exclamation meaning “God is great,” prosecutors said. Yonathan Melaku, 22, of Alexandria, was charged with firing at the museum in Prince William County and the Pentagon in October as part of a series of attacks in Northern Virginia. Authorities said they would not discuss a possible motive, but they say that Melaku’s intent was to shut down military targets.
“This is not a junior high student shooting a BB gun at a local school,” said Neil MacBride, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Melaku has been charged with firing a weapon in the act of violence and destruction of property. He faces 35 years to life if convicted on both charges.
Authorities said Thursday that Melaku was not on their radar before his capture early Friday morning for trespassing in Arlington National Cemetery. He dropped a backpack as he fled from police that prosecutors said contained ammonium nitrate, the same component used in the deadly 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
They also said they found a notebook containing Arabic writings that mentioned al Qaeda, the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.
A search of Malaku’s residence turned up a trigger for an improvised explosive device and the video of him firing the gun out of the passenger-side window at the Marine Corps museum, according to James McJunkin, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It appears that he was alone in the vehicle and that he had positioned the video camera in order to record his shooting.
In the video, Melaku boasts of closing down one installation and talks about his next attack.
“All right, the next time this video turns on, I will be shooting. That’s what they get. That’s my target. That’s the military building. It’s going to be attacked.”
The semiautomatic handgun used in all five attacks has been recovered, McJunkin said, but he would not specify where it was found.
McJunkin said it was not surprising that a months-long search failed to identify Melaku.
“Some individuals set a course for themselves based on events that are personal to them that aren’t readily apparent to law enforcement officers” McJunkin said, “and sometimes they take violent actions without warning.”
FBI officials said at the time that authorities believed the gunman was someone who had a grievance against the military but was not trying to hurt anyone. Officials also said they believed the shooter was affiliated with the Marines.
According to the FBI, Melaku, a lance corporal, joined the Marine Corps Reserve in September 2007 and is a motor vehicle operator.
He has received two service medals and has not served overseas.
Staff Writer Emily Babay contributed to this report.
