national
California Man Pleads Guilty to 2024 Santa Maria Courthouse Bombing
Just the facts
Nathaniel James McGuire, a 22-year-old resident of Santa Barbara County, California, entered a guilty plea to federal charges of using a weapon of mass destruction and maliciously damaging a building with explosives. Federal prosecutors stated that McGuire threw a backpack containing a bomb into the Santa Maria courthouse in September 2024 to retaliate against law enforcement officers who had previously seized his firearms. Officers arrested McGuire outside the building as he attempted to retrieve two long guns and 10 Molotov cocktails from his vehicle. McGuire faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when his sentencing hearing takes place on March 1.
Why this is news
Nathaniel James McGuire pleaded guilty in federal court to detonating an explosive device at a courthouse in Santa Maria, California. The September 2024 attack injured three people and caused $35,000 in property damage.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.