Smiling Suspect Charged With Chucking Molotov Cocktail at Dem HQ

An Austin man has been arrested and charged for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the Travis County Democratic Party office. Authorities allege that Ryan Faircloth, 30, threw the homemade explosive at the office earlier this week. He was nabbed through a combination of surveillance video footage and a Facebook tipster who noted that Faircloth’s online posts had a similar style to a threatening, politically charged note left at the scene.

Authorities have charged Faircloth with arson and possessing a prohibited weapon. On Friday, he was behind at a Travis County jail on $40,000 bail. No employees were hurt but the explosive caused a small fire. Texas County Democratic Party chair Kate Naranjo said they’d installed cameras after a similar attack last year in which vandals damaged the building and scrawled messages like “Reconstitute the Communist Party.”