Suspect Arrested After Alleged Ransacking of Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s Office, Former AG Pamela Bondi Says

Suspect in Custody After Alleged Ransacking of Acting U.S. Attorney's Office

A suspect accused of ransacking the office of Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba on Wednesday is in custody, Pamela Bondi said on social media. Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, thanked law enforcement for their response and condemned threats against federal prosecutors.

"No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great US Attorneys or the destruction of their offices," Bondi wrote, while not identifying the person taken into custody.

Sources who spoke to CBS News said the suspect was a man who had been denied entry earlier for carrying a baseball bat. According to those sources, he returned later without the bat, requested a meeting with the acting U.S. attorney and was refused. He then allegedly began smashing items in the waiting area before fleeing the scene; authorities later took a suspect into custody.

The New York Times was first to report that the individual had attempted to enter Habba's office with a bat.

Habba wrote on social media: "We got him." She thanked Bondi and said U.S. federal partners would not tolerate intimidation or violence toward law enforcement, adding, "Now justice will handle him."

Habba has served as the Justice Department's top federal prosecutor in New Jersey since March. The president initially nominated his former personal attorney for Senate confirmation as U.S. attorney for New Jersey, but later withdrew that nomination and left her in the role on an acting basis — a decision that has prompted legal challenges.

Authorities continue to investigate the incident; additional details, including charges and motive, have not yet been released.