PORTLAND, Ore — An Indiana man charged with 26 felonies, including attempted murder, stemming from Portland protests last fall now faces federal charges.
Malik Muhammad, 24, appeared in U.S. District Court in Portland on Tuesday where he was charged with civil disorder and obstructing law enforcement, possession of an unregistered firearm and using explosives to commit a federal felony.
The three federal charges Muhammad now faces are in addition to the 26 felonies brought by the Multnomah County District Attorney in April.
Last Friday, Muhammad was arrested and taken into custody on a U.S. Marshals hold.
Just two days earlier, Muhammad had been released from state custody after the Portland Freedom Fund posted bail on his behalf.
On May 26, the local nonprofit posted $212,500 of Muhammad's $2.125 million bail, the 10% needed to release Muhammad before his state trial, according to jail records.
In a memo signed last week, Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez argued that Muhammad should not be released and no bail be set, given the violent felonies he faces.
But the motion was signed two days after Muhammad had already been released from Multnomah County Jail.
Muhammad was first arrested back in April for his alleged involvement in a number of violent incidents at Portland protests outlined in a Multnomah County indictment.
According to court records, Muhammad threw lit Molotov cocktails at police officers on multiple occasions during protests last September. One of those incendiary devices briefly lit a police officer's pants on fire, prosecutors say.
Just weeks later, Muhammad used a metal baton to smash out windows at the Oregon Historical Society, Portland State University and other businesses during an Oct. 11 riot in downtown Portland, according to court records. An undercover FBI agent said they watched Muhammad break the windows.