BREAKING: Antifa rioter sentenced to 40 months for plot to burn down Seattle Police building

Justin Christopher Moore was sentenced on Wednesday after being convicted in a plot to burn down the Seattle Police Officers Guild during the BLM Antifa riots in the summer of 2020. Moore was sentenced to 41 months in prison for manufacture of homemade bombs with intent to burn down government property.

"Moore’s offense was extremely dangerous and created a substantial risk of injury to numerous bystanders," said Assistant US Attorney Todd Greenberg. "Moore carried the box of 12 Molotov cocktails in a crowd of over 1,000 people who were participating in the protest march. All of them were in harm’s way if one of the devices had exploded."

Moore, 35, was convicted on charges of manufacturing and a dozen Molotov cocktails during a march to the Seattle police building on September 7, 2020. Officers smelled gasoline and moved the agitators back away from the building, whereupon they discovered the box of homemade gasoline bombs "in the parking lot next to the SPOG building. Using video from that day and from other protests, as well as information from the electronic devices of other co-conspirators, Moore was confirmed as the person seen carrying the box of destructive devices," the DOJ states.
 

"In June 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Moore’s residence. They seized clothing that is consistent with the images of what Moore was wearing when he carried the Molotov cocktails. From the basement storage area, they also recovered numerous items that are consistent with manufacturing explosive devices. Law enforcement recovered a notebook in which Moore had made entries related to the manufacturing of destructive devices and the ingredients necessary," the DOJ states.

A plea deal was reached between Moore and the Department of Justice in September 2022. He plead guilty to the unlawful possession of destructive devices, and could have faced 10 years in prison for this. The DOJ, however, asked for less than 4 years.

His arrest in 2021 was carried out by the Seattle PD, the FBI, and the ATF on charges of conspiracy to commit an arson attack on the Seattle Police Officers Guild. 
 

According to court documents, Moore and another unnamed conspirator used the messaging app Signal to formulate a plan to conduct an arson attack at the SPOG using Molotov cocktails. They planned the attack to take place on Labor Day 2020 to coincide with a scheduled demonstration at the police union.

FBI Special Agent Katherine Murphy's sworn deposition alleges that Moore and the conspirator agreed to bring 10-15 Molotov cocktails in hopes of demolishing the building. They suggested recruiting more individuals to help carry out the attack. These allegations were discovered through their conversation on Signal by special agent Murphy who specializes in domestic terrorism.

In June 2021, Seattle police officers executed search warrants on Moore's residence in Renton, Washington. During the search of the suspect's vehicle, officers found a smartphone, paperwork in Moore's name, and black plants consistent with the pants that the Molotov cocktail suspect wore on Labor Day 2020.

A list of ingredients used to manufacture explosives was found in the notebook recovered from Moore's vehicle which included, ping-pong balls, matchbooks, rocket candy, black powder, scale, potassium nitrate, magnesium, and masking tape. There were also recipes for manufacturing explosive devices included in the notebook.

During the violent demonstration at SPOG on September 7, 2020, Seattle police officers made 22 arrests for arson, assault, obstructing and failure to disperse.

The group of black-clad Antifa militants and anti-police protesters marched from the International District to SPOG. After arriving at SPOG, the group began to engage in criminal acts which prompted Seattle police officers to disperse the group after declaring the demonstration a riot.

According to Seattle PD, officers recovered intact Molotov cocktails dropped by rioters outside the building as officers began making arrests. Officers arrested a number of individuals on 4th Avenue South as rioters continued throwing rocks, bottles, and explosives thrown at them.