California Man Pleads Guilty to Courthouse Bombing Intended to Kill Deputies and Judge

California — A California man pleaded guilty Monday to bombing a Santa Barbara County courthouse in 2024 as part of an attempted attack on sheriff’s deputies and a judge, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Nathaniel James McGuire, 22, of Santa Maria, pleaded guilty to using a weapon of mass destruction and maliciously destroying a building with an explosive. He faces up to life in federal prison when he is sentenced March 1, 2027.

According to his plea agreement, McGuire entered the Santa Maria courthouse on Sept. 24, 2024, and threw a backpack containing an explosive device past the security screening area toward Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies.

The backpack slid between a person’s legs and exploded outside a courtroom. Five people were hospitalized and released that day, including three people who sustained injuries.

McGuire admitted that he detonated the bomb intending to kill the deputies.

After the explosion, McGuire returned to his vehicle to retrieve two long guns and 10 Molotov cocktails, according to prosecutors. He intended to re-enter the courthouse, kill sheriff’s deputies and kill a judge.

A courthouse security guard and law enforcement officers stopped McGuire at his vehicle before he could return to the building.

The explosion caused approximately $35,000 in damage and forced the courthouse to close for several days.

McGuire admitted that the attack was retaliation for what he considered government wrongdoing, including the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office seizing his firearms earlier in 2024. Prosecutors said he targeted the deputies and judge because they were government employees and officials.

Investigators later searched McGuire’s residence and found additional materials related to bomb-making, according to the Justice Department.

McGuire has remained in federal custody since September 2024.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Maria Police Department investigated the case. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and the Justice Department’s National Security Division are handling the prosecution.