Yonathan Melaku, a 22-year-old reservist who was taken into custody after engaging in suspicious activity at Arlington National Cemetery last Friday, will be charged in connection with five shootings at military sites around Virginia last fall. No one was injured in any of the shootings, during which the Pentagon, the National Museum of the Marine Corps and a Coast Guard recruiting station were fired upon.
Authorities reportedly discovered “strong evidence” linking Melaku to the shootings, believed to be shell casings, at Melaku’s home in Kingstowne yesterday. All of the shootings took place during hours when the military facilities were not open, and it is not believed that Melaku has any ties to terrorist organizations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is still investigating last Friday’s incident, during which a bomb squad was dispatched to search a car belonging to Melaku which had been parked near the Pentagon.
Melaku will appear in court today on two charges of larceny, both unrelated to the shootings and last Friday’s incident.
UPDATE: During a press conference this morning, representatives from the FBI said that they found video at Melaku’s home which they believe is footage of him shooting at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Investigators also discovered components that could be used to construct an improvised explosive device during the search of Melaku’s home.