US lawyer pleads guilty to trying to detonate explosives near Chinese embassy in Washington
- Christopher Rodriguez also bombed a sculpture of Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong in Texas
A Florida lawyer pleaded guilty on Friday to using a rifle to try to detonate explosives outside the Chinese embassy last year in Washington.
Christopher Rodriguez also bombed a sculpture of communist leaders Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong in a courtyard outside the Texas Public Radio building in San Antonio, Texas, in 2022, according to a court filing accompanying his guilty plea.
Rodriguez, 45, of Panama City, Florida, is scheduled to be sentenced in Washington by Chief Judge James Boasberg on October 28.
Under the terms of his plea deal, Rodriguez and prosecutors agreed that seven to 10 years in prison would be an appropriate sentence.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to three counts: damaging property occupied by a foreign government, damaging federal property with explosive materials and possessing an unregistered firearm.
Rodriguez acknowledged that he drove from Florida to Washington and took a taxi to an area near the Chinese embassy in the early morning hours of September 25, 2023.