Suspect arrested for throwing Molotov cocktail in lawmaker’s office

A Missouri man was arrested earlier this week and charged with throwing two Molotov cocktails into Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s (D-Mo.) district office. 

Eric King, 28, was arrested while detectives were investigating a “series of anti-government vandalisms” near the congressman’s office. 

{mosads}”Property can be replaced, people cannot,” Cleaver said in a statement. “I will be forever grateful that no one was hurt in the senseless attempt recently to destroy my Kansas City office.”

The Justice Department said surveillance footage allegedly caught King throwing a hammer through the congressman’s Kansas City district office window. He then apparently threw the two bombs at the building and sprinted away. The cocktails did not explode and there was no fire damage. 

The vandalism took place in the early morning while no staff was in the office. The congressman was in Washington at the time. 

Last week’s incident was the second time Cleaver’s district office had been vandalized. No suspects were identified in 2011 after two people threw rocks and broke his windows. There is no indication the two incidents are related.  

King was arrested on Tuesday and charged in federal court on Wednesday for using a dangerous instrument to “oppose, impede, intimidate and interfere” with a lawmaker’s official duties.

The Justice Department found allusions to something called the “KC Fight Back Insurrectionist Collective” on King’s social media account and in a letter found during a search of his property. 

The letter found at his residence mentioned future targets for vandalism including police officers, banks and the Federal Reserve. 

“The Missouri congress has been a willing partner in the US governments capitalist war hungry agenda,” a portion of the letter reads.