Overview
- Jose Francisco Jovel, 54, was arrested Monday and charged with attempted malicious damage of federal property after two Molotov-style devices were thrown into the downtown Los Angeles Federal Building.
- Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators indicates he tried to ignite at least one device, but nothing caught fire inside and no injuries or structural damage were reported.
- Federal officers recovered a lighter and five additional incendiary bottles at the scene, and portions of the building were briefly evacuated during the response.
- Authorities say Jovel set his Koreatown apartment ablaze hours earlier; a fire investigator determined an accelerant was used in that separate blaze.
- According to the complaint, Jovel called the act a “terrorist attack” and cited anger over immigration enforcement; he faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison as the multi‑agency FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation continues.