Man Charged for Attempting to Firebomb Black Congressman's Office By Frederick H. Lowe

Sept. 28, 2014


Man Charged for Attempting to Firebomb Black Congressman's Office
By Frederick H. Lowe

cleaver
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II. Law enforcement officials arrested in mid-September a Kansas City, Mo., man
for attempting to firebomb Cleaver's office.

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri has charged Eric King, a 28-year-old Kansas City, Mo., man with throwing two Molotov cocktails into the congressional office of U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, a member of the 42-member Congressional Black Caucus.

No one was in the office at the time and there was no substantial fire damage.

U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson charged King with using a dangerous instrument to oppose, impede, intimidate and interfere with a federal official engaged in the performance of his duties.

King allegedly used a hammer to break an office window before lighting and throwing the Molotov cocktails at the building around 3 a.m. on September 11. The hammer was found at the scene.

A video camera filmed King walking around the building's parking lot before pulling two bottles and a white ignition source from his backpack. The first device bounced off the side of the building. He ignited the second device before throwing it at the window, according to the U.S. Attorney.

He then ran away.

Police arrested King on September 16th in his apartment. Law-enforcement officials found spray paint, Kingsford Charcoal Lighter Fluid and a clear plastic soda bottle, which contained an unknown liquid.

In a hand-written letter, King charged that members of Missouri Congressional Delegation were willing partners in the U.S. government's "capitalist war hungry agenda."

The attempted firebombing of Cleaver's office was first disclosed September 11 by the Congressional Black Caucus.

In a statement, John Jones, Cleaver’s chief of staff, said this was the second such incident within the last three years. Jones did not explain if Molotov cocktails had been thrown at the building years earlier.

It is not known if law enforcement officials believe King was involved in the first incident.

Cleaver, former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, represents Missouri's 5th Congressional District.