Evergreen Reporter

Christopher Rodriguez, 45, of Panama City, Fla., pleaded guilty today to a three-count superseding information charging him in the September 2023 attempted bombing outside the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, D.C., and a November 2022 bombing of a sculpture depicting communist leaders Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong in San Antonio, Tex.

The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves of the District of Columbia and Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Division.

Rodriguez, a licensed Florida attorney, pleaded guilty today to damaging property occupied by a foreign government, explosive materials—malicious damage to federal property, and receipt or possession of an unregistered firearm (destructive device).

According to court documents, on September 23-24, 2023, Rodriguez drove from his home in Panama City, Fla., to Northern Virginia with a rifle and 15 pounds of explosive material. En route, he stopped in Harrisonburg and Charlottesville, Va., to buy a black backpack, nitrile gloves, and a burner cell phone. On September 24, he parked his car in Arlington, Va., and used the burner phone to arrange for a taxi to drive him to within a few blocks of the Chinese Embassy. Sometime between midnight and 3:00 a.m. near the back wall of the Embassy in Northwest Washington, Rodriguez placed the black backpack filled with explosives next to a streetlight. Rodriguez then attempted to detonate the explosives by shooting at the backpack with a rifle. Rodriguez missed his target and the device failed to detonate. Law enforcement officers later recovered the backpack containing explosive material, three shell casings, and bullet fragmentations from the ground along the outer perimeter wall of the Chinese Embassy. Impact marks were found on the Embassy wall near the bullet fragments behind the backpack.

Also according to court documents, DNA obtained from the black backpack was found to be consistent with DNA evidence obtained from a previous arrest of Rodriguez in June 2021 in California. During that incident in California, Rodriguez possessed three firearms and apparent explosive material consistent with those used during the Chinese Embassy attack. DNA evidence obtained from Rodriguez pursuant to a buccal swab warrant later confirmed this DNA match.

Between November 5 and 7, 2022 according to court documents Rodriguez rented a vehicle in Pensacola Fla., and drove it to San Antonio Tex.. At approximately 2:25 am on November 7th Rodriguez scaled an eight-foot fence enter courtyard on West Commerce Street San Antonio Inside courtyard placed two canisters explosive materials base satirical steel sculpture titled Miss Mao Trying Poise Herself Top Lenin's Head About am November used rifle shoot canisters causing explosion significant damage Miss Mao sculpture

The ATF arrested Rodriguez on November 4th Lafayette La He has been held since date

This case was investigated by Bureau Alcohol Tobacco Firearms Explosives ATF Washington Field Division Valuable assistance provided U.S Attorney’s Offices Northern District Florida Western District Louisiana Texas; Tampa New Orleans Houston Field Divisions FBI’s San Antonio Homeland Security Investigations Secret Service Uniformed Foreign Missions Detective Unit Department State Diplomatic Security Metropolitan Police Department

The case is being prosecuted Assistant U.S Attorneys Jolie F Zimmerman Stuart D Allen Valuable assistance provided Maeghan Mikorski Kelly Stephenson former Michael McCarthy