A third person was arrested last week in the firebombing of a Costa Mesa clinic operated by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, federal authorities announced Monday.
The arrest was announced ahead of a news conference with authorities Monday morning when a federal grand jury indictment in the 2022 attack was unsealed in Santa Ana.
The arrest of the third individual in the firebombing captured by security cameras was announced ahead of the news conference. He was identified as 21-year-old Xavier Batten, of Florida. Batten was arrested Friday by the FBI and made his first court appearance later that day.
He is being held with bond, pending trial.
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Tibet Ergul, 21, of Irvine and 23-year-old Chance Brannon, of San Juan Capistrano were already under arrest. They pleaded not guilty Monday.
All three defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of malicious destruction of property by fire and explosion. Brannon and Ergul both are charged with one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device and one misdemeanor count of intentional damage to a reproductive health services facility.
Brannon is an active duty Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton.
Ergul and Brannon are accused of igniting and a throwing a Molotov cocktail at the clinic entrance during the early morning hours of March 13, 2022.
"Brannon and Ergul allegedly chose the target property, obtained the materials necessary to construct a Molotov cocktail, assembled the destructive device, then, during the early morning hours of March 13, 2022, threw the ignited Molotov cocktail at the clinic," according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. "The device struck the clinic entrance.
Batten is accused of advising the men on how to building the Molotov cocktail.
The clinic was forced to close for the day and cancel about 30 appointments.
"Hopefully this will serve as a warning to others with malicious intent toward health care providers, that this type of violence and intimidation will not be tolerated," Planned Parenthood said in a statement. "The safety of our patients and staff is our highest priority and we will not be deterred in our mission to provide high-quality, compassionate care to our community, as we have for the last 55 years."
Security camera videos showed two men wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks ignite a device outside the building, then throw the flaming object at the entrance. The Molotov cocktail landed against a wall next to a glass door and erupted in flames that spread up the wall and across a ceiling.
Firefighters extinguished the fire. Investigators found evidence that showed the glass contained and other materials at the scene contained gasoline, authorities said.
