22-Year-Old Pleads Guilty to Courthouse Bombing After Deputies Confiscated His Guns

In a federal plea, Nathaniel James McGuire, 22, acknowledged detonating a bomb at the Santa Maria courthouse in September 2024, claiming it was retaliation for deputies confiscating his unregistered revolver earlier that year. He tossed a backpack containing an explosive device past security, shouting “Liberty or death,” and the device exploded outside a courtroom, injuring three people and damaging the structure. After the blast, McGuire attempted to retrieve two long guns and ten Molotov cocktails from his vehicle, intending to re-enter the building to target deputies and a judge.

Law enforcement intercepted him as he tried to access a parked Ford Mustang. Prosecutors say he could receive a life-term, and officials emphasized the severe harm and potential for greater tragedy had the attack not been contained.