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A man seen on surveillance video wearing a bandana depicting the American flag when he threw a Molotov cocktail at the Democratic Party’s county office seat in Austin remained in custody on Saturday, prison records show.
Ryan Faircloth, 30, was arrested Friday and faces federal charges of arson and attempted arson, court documents show. The documents did not say if Faircloth still had a lawyer.
No one was at the Travis County Democratic Party headquarters when it was attacked around 2 a.m. Wednesday and only a small stack of papers caught fire, officials said. The blaze was quickly put out by employees of a nearby business.
Ryan Wayfair is accused of torching the Travis County Democratic Party headquarters in Austin, Texas.
(iStock)
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Investigators received several tips after showing the surveillance video, according to a complaint filed in federal court by FBI task force officer Ryan Metcalf. One of the tips led to Faircloth’s social media.
Information found online and other evidence led arson investigators and the FBI to arrest Faircloth who, during questioning, admitted to constructing the device and leaving it in the building, according to the complaint.
“He described using a bottle of wine, gasoline and a sock to build the device. He admitted to knowing that gasoline is flammable. He further confirmed his participation in the events,” says the complaint.
Austin arson investigator Captain Jeffrey Deane said on Friday the attack was politically motivated.
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“This person was not happy with the current political climate. He blamed this office and who they represent for a lot of the issues he saw as issues with the country,” Deane said. “He was outspoken and confessed to this.”
Authorities said in court documents that Faircloth left a note at the scene mentioning Democratic-majority states and city or Democratic federal lawmakers. He then said, “One thing you can’t have is Texas,” and “Take that as a ‘light’ warning,” according to a photograph in the document.
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