A man accused of setting off an explosion at the offices of a defense contractor in San Diego was arrested hours after the blast as he crossed into the U.S. from Mexico, according to a court document.
Daniel Hector Mackinnon who is also known as Daniel Patrick Shelley has been charged in federal court with malicious destruction of a building by means of fire for the April 24 incident at the Raytheon Integrated Defense building on Balboa Avenue.
A Toyota Prius with mismatched plates crashed into the building at about 2:30 a.m. and burst into flames.
A security guard called 911 and firefighters with San Diego Fire-Rescue quickly knocked down the fire before flames could spread to the building.
Prosecutors allege a man opened the back hatch of the Prius and "shortly thereafter, a fireball shot out from the vehicle and engulfed the male," according to the complaint filed Thursday by the FBI.
The document alleges the VIN number of the Prius involved in the incident came back registered to Mackinnon. The license plates used in the incident were reported stolen in San Marcos and at a location close to Mackinnon's home in City Heights.
Inside the Prius, investigators found two empty weapon magazines, remnants of a plastic gas container, a bottle that smelled of gasoline, and towels. The FBI said the car's gas cap was also missing.
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Hours after the fire, an FBI tactical team surrounded Mackinnon's City Heights home and deployed flash bangs before breaching the door and searching inside.
A plywood board was placed over Mackinnon's front door with a sign notifying the public that the FBI had searched it.
A DMV photograph of Mackinnon appeared to match the man seen on the video, according to the complaint.
Then, nine hours after the fire, Mackinnon was arrested at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry driving a Buick sedan with stolen license plates into the U.S. from Mexico, FBI officials said.
Once his identity was confirmed, FBI agents took Mackinnon into custody.
According to the company's website, Raytheon is a defense contractor that specializes in civil government and cybersecurity solutions, including missile defense and electronic warfare.
No motive for the attack has been offered by federal investigators.
Mackinnon was scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchell D. Dembin Thursday afternoon.
