WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - An 18-year-old man has been charged with throwing an incendiary device at a Planned Parenthood location in Delaware, a federal prosecutor’s office announced.
Samuel James Gulick, of Middletown, was charged on Monday in federal court, according to a statement form David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware.
Security video recorded Gulick spray-painting the phrase “Deus Vult,” a Latin expression meaning “God wills it,” in red letters across the Newark building’s exterior on Friday, the U.S. attorney’s release said. Gulick then stepped away, lit an object and threw it at the front window before running for cover. The object exploded and a fire burned for a minute before going out, the court documents said.
Gulick was arrested by the FBI on Saturday after investigators identified his car through the security video and found social media posts under his name containing the same phrase he scrawled on the building, as well as several anti-abortion messages.
Gulick was charged with maliciously damaging a building used in interstate commerce through the use of fire or destructive device, intentionally damaging a facility that provides reproductive health services and possession of an unregistered destructive device under the National Firearms Act.
If convicted of the most serious offense of maliciously damaging the Planned Parenthood facility, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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