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Suspect in Custody After Vandalism at Acting U.S. Attorney Habba’s Newark Office
Newark, NJ – A suspect has been apprehended following the alleged ransacking of Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba’s office on Wednesday, as confirmed by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great US Attorneys or the destruction of their offices,” Bondi stated Saturday in a social media post, extending gratitude to law enforcement for their swift action. The identity of the suspect has not yet been released.
Sources close to the investigation revealed to CBS News that the individual, a man, was initially denied entry to the building due to carrying a baseball bat. He reportedly returned later the same day without the bat and requested a meeting with Acting U.S.
Attorney Habba, which was denied. Following this refusal, the suspect allegedly began to damage property in the waiting area before fleeing the premises.
The New York Times was the first to report on the initial attempt to enter the office with a bat.
Acting U.S. Attorney Habba also took to social media on Saturday, declaring, “We got him.” She echoed Attorney General Bondi’s sentiment, emphasizing that federal partners will not tolerate acts of intimidation or violence against law enforcement, adding, “Now justice will handle him.”
Habba has served as the Justice Department’s chief prosecutor in New Jersey since March. Her initial nomination by the President to be New Jersey’s Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney was later withdrawn, and she has continued in an acting capacity, a move that has drawn some legal scrutiny.