BOULDER CITY, NV – Federal authorities have launched a counterterrorism investigation after a 23-year-old New York man died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following his attempt to ram a vehicle into a power substation near Las Vegas on Thursday morning.
Dawson Maloney of Albany, New York, was found dead inside a rental vehicle that had crashed through the secured gate of an L.A. power and water facility around 10 a.m. local time, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill announced at a Friday press conference.
The incident began when a 911 caller reported a vehicle crashing through the facility’s fence, with shots heard after the crash. Surveillance video showed Maloney’s vehicle ramming through the gate before being stopped by large industrial wire reels, preventing further penetration into the facility.
Investigators discovered Maloney was wearing body armor and had traveled cross-country in the rental vehicle, which he obtained on February 12 before departing New York around February 14. License plate reader data tracked his journey from Albany to Nevada.
“The suspect had made multiple statements referencing self harm and alluding to committing an act that would place him ‘on the news.’ In a message to his mother, the suspect referred to himself as a ‘dead terrorist son’ and stated he felt he had an obligation to carry out his act,” McMahill said.
A search of Maloney’s hotel room revealed explosive materials including thermite, ammonium nitrate, magnesium ribbon, metal pipes and gasoline. Investigators also recovered books containing extremist ideologies “including right and left wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacy and anti-government ideology,” according to McMahill.
The vehicle contained an arsenal of weapons including two shotguns, an AR-style pistol, numerous loaded magazines, shotgun shells and two flame throwers. FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Delzotto confirmed the investigation is being treated as a domestic terrorism incident.
Maloney had been reported missing from Albany and made contact with his family shortly before the attempted attack, authorities said. Officials believe he intended to cause chaos with the assault on critical infrastructure.
No damage occurred to the power facility and authorities confirmed there is no ongoing threat to the community. Investigators have not yet determined Maloney’s specific motivation for targeting the power substation.
