Two liberal New York lawyers pleaded guilty last week for their roles in a Molotov cocktail attack on police during the May 2020 George Floyd riots.
Prosecutors said Urooj Rahman threw a gasoline-filled bottle into an empty police vehicle, attempted to distribute Molotov cocktails to others, and then fled in a minivan driven by attorney Colinford Mattis.
Rahman, 32, and Mattis, 34, each pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to a single count of possessing or making a destructive device.
U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan set their sentencing for Feb. 8. They face up to 10 years in prison under a terrorism-related sentencing provision.
Text message revealed that they may have been plotting a terrorist attack on NYPD headquarters at 1 Police Plaza (1PP)
"“Go burn down 1PP,” Colinford Mattis wrote to his accomplice, Urooj Rahman, before their arrest on May 30, 2020, prosecutor Ian Richardson said at the plea hearing Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court.
“Bring it to their neck,” Mattis added in the text message and shared a Google Maps location of One Police Plaza with Rahman, Richardson said.
In a series of other messages, Rahman allegedly boasted to Mattis about the destruction she was causing that night as protests raged in Brooklyn and across the city.
Set a police car on fire,” she said in one.
“My rock hit someone. A cop of course,” she added in another and included a smiley face emoji, Richardson said.
“Molotovs rollin’,” she added in another. “I hope they burn everything down. Need to burn all police stations down and probably the courts too.”
Both of Rahman and Mattis will also be disbarred."