Feds arrest Indiana man who faces state charges in connection with Portland protests last fall

By Conrad Wilson (OPB)
May 30, 2021 11:36 p.m.
A yellow jar with a brown towel stuffed into its mouth rests amongst leaves on the side of a road.

Portland police allege 24-year-old Malik Muhammed threw incendiary devices like this at officers during a protest in October.

Portland Police Bureau

FBI agents in Oregon arrested an Indiana man Friday, who already faces 26 felonies stemming from protests in Portland last fall.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

Malik Muhammed is being held on a U.S. Marshals hold at the Multnomah County Jail.

The arrest is a sign that the U.S. Department of Justice is likely to file charges against the 24-year-old from Indianapolis, who Multnomah County prosecutors say traveled to Portland “for the specific purpose of engaging in the multiple criminal episodes and behavior that this case is based upon.”

A spokeswoman for the FBI confirmed the arrest to OPB. Paperwork in the case is sealed. Federal courts reopen Tuesday, after the Memorial Day holiday when more information, including charges, could become available.

In April, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced a grand jury had charged Muhammed with attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder, unlawful manufacture of an explosive device, among others.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

The district attorney’s office stated in court documents that Muhammed threw Molotov cocktails at police during several demonstrations in September. During another protest in October, plain clothes FBI agents observed Muhammed using a metal bar to smash the windows of Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society.

After he was charged, Muhammed was extradited to Oregon and held in the Multnomah County Jail on a $2.125 million bail. On May 26, the Portland Bail Fund, which opposes cash bail, posted $212,500, the 10% required for his release from pretrial custody, allowing him to leave the jail.

Muhammed was booked back into the Multnomah County Jail on Friday.







THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: