Molotov Cocktail Lawyers Back in Jail After Appeals Court Reverses Bail Decision

An appeals court ordered two lawyers accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail inside a police vehicle to report back to jail. The decision comes two days after a judge allowed the accused to post bail and return home. 

Attorneys Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman charged in Molotov cocktail attack on @NYPDnews are now back in federal custody after the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed bail decision by the District Court.

— US Attorney EDNY (@EDNYnews) June 5, 2020

On Wednesday, Salmah Rizvi, a former Obama administration official in both the State and Defense Departments, guaranteed the bail of Urooj Rahman, one of two New York City attorneys accused in the failed attack on a police cruiser parked outside the 88th Precinct in Fort Greene. 

Authorities say Urooj Rahman and Colinford King Mattis tossed a Molotov cocktail through a broken window of a police cruiser just before 1 a.m. local time on Saturday. After the firebomb failed to ignite, Rahman jumped into a van and sped off with Mattis. Cops pursued the vehicle and apprehended both suspects. Cops discovered another Molotov cocktail and a gasoline container in the back seat of the vehicle.

According to court papers, surveillance cameras outside the precinct captured the attack on video. Authorities say a witness has come forward claiming Rahman was passing out Molotov cocktails to other protesters earlier in the day. 

A picture surfaced showing Rahman sitting in the passenger side of a van holding a Molotov cocktail.

Urooj Rahman prepares to toss a Molotov cocktail out of the passenger-side window of a van early Saturday, May 30, outside the 88th Precinct stationhouse in Brooklyn but the Molotov cocktail failed to ignite.

She is a a corporate lawyer & member of Community Board 5 in East NY. pic.twitter.com/4QnxaplDf1

— Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) June 1, 2020

The court ordered both suspects to be released on home detention with a GPS monitor and surrender all travel documents. But both suspects are now back in custody following the appeal court's ruling. If convicted, they face up to 20 years behind bars.