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This article involves discussions of suicide. If you or someone you care about is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
A 23-year-old individual, armed and reportedly eager to make headlines, allegedly embarked on a cross-country journey, culminating in the collision of a vehicle into a Nevada power facility on Thursday. Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible act of terrorism.
Identified as Dawson Maloney from Albany, New York, the young man was discovered deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. When found, he was clad in soft body armor and armed with a shotgun, according to Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, who briefed the media on Friday.
Authorities revealed that Maloney, who had recently been reported missing in New York, deliberately drove a rented vehicle through a secured gate at a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power facility near Boulder City around 10 a.m. local time on Thursday.
This power facility, owned by Los Angeles, collaborates closely with the Hoover Dam. The energy it generates is crucial for the operations at the Hoover Dam basin, officials noted.
Dawson Maloney was the 23-year-old identified who crashed into a power station near Las Vegas. (KVVU)
Video showed the car, which had New York license plates, speeding toward the gate, breaking the perimeter fence.
Maloney’s car was stopped by large, industrial wire reels, seemingly leading to his subsequent suicide, according to McMahill. He added that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Officials said he spoke to his family prior to the attack and made multiple references to self harm and committing an act that would place him “on the news.”
In a message to his mother, Maloney referred to himself as a “dead terrorist son” and said he felt he “had an obligation to carry out his act,” according to McMahill.
The FBI is investigating an apparent attack Thursday in Boulder City, Nev. (KVVU)
Two shotguns, an AR-style pistol, numerous loaded AR magazines, a box of shotgun shells, two flamethrowers containing thermite material, a crowbar and hatchet were found inside the car, leading the incident to be treated as a “terrorism related event,” according to McMahill.
Multiple weapons were found inside the rental car, according to officials. (KVVU)
Multiple books were found in Maloney’s hotel room related to extremist ideologies, including right- and left-wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacy and anti-government ideology.Â
Authorities also recovered explosive materials and components to include thermite, ammonium nitrate, magnesium ribbon, metal pipes, and gasoline.
The FBI is investigating an apparent attack on a power station on Thursday in Boulder City, Nev. (KVVU)
A cellphone found in the car is being forensically analyzed, according to McMahill.
FBI Las Vegas and FBI Albany are assisting with the investigation, and carried out two search warrants in New York.
Electronics were pulled from one Albany home, and “several gun components” needed to assemble a gun, along with a 3D printer, were recovered from another house in Albany.
Based on the information uncovered, FBI agents believe Maloney rented a car on Feb. 12 in Albany, and left the area two days later.
The FBI is investigating an apparent attack Thursday in Boulder City, Nevada. (KVVU)
Boulder City Police Chief Tim Shea said there is no major damage to critical infrastructure at the power plant and there are no known service interruptions.
“We also recognize the gravity of an armed individual intentionally reaching the power facility while in possession of incendiary components. Our responsibility is to identify threats early, act decisively and protect critical infrastructure,” Shea said. “There is no continuing threat to the community.”