California Man Pleads Guilty to Bombing Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Retaliation for Law Enforcement Seizing His Firearms
A California man admitted detonating a courthouse bomb in 2024, injuring three people and damaging the building in retaliation for law enforcement actions, and now faces life imprisonment.
Nathaniel James McGuire, 22, of Santa Maria, California, pleaded guilty today to detonating a bomb at the Santa Maria courthouse in September 2024. The explosion injured three people, caused approximately $35,000 in damages, and forced the courthouse to close for several days. McGuire admitted his attack was intended to kill sheriff’s deputies and a judge in retaliation for the seizure of his firearms earlier that year.
McGuire threw a backpack containing the explosive device past courthouse security screening and towards sheriff’s deputies, where it detonated near a victim’s legs. After the blast, he left to retrieve two long guns and 10 Molotov cocktails from his vehicle with the intent to re-enter and continue the attack. A courthouse security guard and law enforcement officers stopped him at his vehicle before he could return.
According to his plea agreement, McGuire admitted he detonated the bomb with the intent to kill law enforcement officers and a judge due to their status as government employees. He also admitted to maliciously damaging the courthouse and claimed the attack was retaliation for alleged government wrongs, including the seizure of his firearms.
McGuire is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, and the Santa Maria Police Department, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Central District of California.