| A photo of the miscreant can be seen at the link. |
[FoxNews] A man accused of driving an SUV through a suburban Chicago mall earlier this month who sent frightened shoppers scurrying for cover is now facing a state terrorism charge, officials announced Sunday.
Javier Garcia, 22, of Palatine, Ill., was charged with one felony count each of terrorism and criminal damage to property, according to a statement issued to Facebook by the Schaumburg Police Department. A judge denied him bail, Fox 32 reported. Police said early Sunday morning the Cook County state's attorney had authorized the charges against Garcia.
"The police investigation revealed Garcia was acting alone," police said in a statement. "A motive has not been determined. Police have no reason to believe Garcia was targeting any specific person and/or store within Sears or Woodfield Mall."
Garcia allegedly crashed a black Chevrolet Trailblazer near Sears and Rainforest Cafe at the Woodfield Mall around 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 20 and then drove through the ground level of the shopping center.
Under Illinois law, the Class X felony of terrorism can apply if the suspect is believed to have caused more than $100,000 in damage to any building containing five or more businesses, according to a statement issued by Schaumburg Police Sgt. Karen McCarthy.
No federal charges have been brought against Garcia.
Garcia's state charges of terrorism are unusual and its not clear why the state has brought them against him. Individuals who commit violent acts are usually indicted on different federal or state charges like hate crimes or weapons possession. This is because domestic terrorism is defined in the U.S. legal code but not codified as a law that can be prosecuted.
The FBI has recorded close to 100 domestic terrorist arrests in the first nine months of this year, according to the Washington Post, citing Senate testimony in July from FBI Director Christopher Wray. And it has 850 open investigations tied to domestic terrorism, a senior FBI counterterrorism official told CBS News.
Authorities have not yet determined why Garcia allegedly drove into the mall and claim that he wasn't targeting any specific store or person. Investigators said in a statement they "believe Garcia acted alone, no motive has been determined." He was released to police custody on Friday from the AMITA Health Behavioral Institute.
| Someone definitely wants to sink jihadi terrorism beneath an apparent tidal wave of other “domestic terrorists”, even if terror was not their intention at all. |
|