Federal Grand Jury Indicts Antonio Martinez

A federal grand jury today indicted 21-year-old Baltimore resident Antonio Martinez in an attempt to blow up the  on  Dec. 8.

Martinez, a U.S. citizen who recently converted to Islam and also goes by Muhammad Hussain, faces up to life in prison in what officials said was the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against federal property. He is also charged with attempted murder of federal officers.

Martinez met with undercover agents the morning of Dec. 8 and drove an SUV with a fake bomb inside to the parking lot of the recruiting center with the intent of setting it off, according to federal charges.

He appeared in court last Monday and was ordered by federal Judge Susan Gauvey to be held until trial. Attorney Joseph A. Balter called the case "a ruse of a fake bombing."

U.S. Attorney Christine Manuelian argued previously that Martinez showed no signs of remorse and was "grinning ear to ear" the morning of his arrest.

Martinez caught the attention of an informant after his postings on became hostile and anti-American, according to charges against him. 

His comments appeared more extreme in recent months, and he also posted Jihadist videos on his page.

On Oct. 15, he wrote, "Do you really want to spend your entire lives praying for longevity? WE were born in order to die."

Martinez, who is married, had been staying several nights with his mother and several nights with his father-in-law, prosecutors said in court last week. In the past, he had also done work off-the-books for a local construction company, but was not working regularly.

Today's two-count indictment replaces the criminal charges filed earlier and is not a finding of guilt. U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein issued the indictment.