Florida Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Bombing Attempt

Christopher Rodriguez, a 45-year-old attorney from Panama City, Florida, pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, including attempting to detonate explosives near the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. on September 25, 2023. He acknowledged using a rifle to shoot at a backpack filled with 15 pounds of explosives, which he had placed near the embassy, but missed, preventing a potential disaster. Rodriguez also admitted to a prior bombing incident in November 2022, where he detonated explosives under a sculpture of Lenin and Mao in San Antonio, Texas. His guilty plea includes charges for damaging property occupied by a foreign government and possession of unregistered firearms. Rodriguez is set to be sentenced on October 28, with a plea deal recommending 7 to 10 years in prison. DNA evidence linked him to both attacks, illustrating a disturbing pattern of violence against symbols of communism.