Crime & Safety

'Next Time This Video Turns On, I Will Be Shooting': What Investigators Found in Melaku's Home

A look at what Franconia man accused of shootings allegedly had in his house

When Franconia resident Yonathan Melaku was arrested on June 17 in Arlington Cemetery, that slowed traffic around the Pentagon, differing reports flew about what Melaku was carrying. Did he have a bomb? Was he just carrying the ingredients for a bomb?

Now, using an affidavit filed by Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent Kelley A. Clark to support the charges against Melaku, for in Northern Virginia, more information is available about what investigators found on Melaku and in his Franconia home on Sage Road.

According to the affidavit, after being pursued by law enforcement around 1:30 a.m. on June 17 in Arlington Cemetery, Melaku dropped a backpack. 

Find out what's happening in Kingstowne-Rose Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 Inside the backpack, investigators say they found:

  • several spent 9mm casings
  • a can of black spray paint
  • two cans of Rust-Oleum, a kind of protective paint or coating
  • work gloves
  • a headlamp

The backpack also contained a spiral notebook with statements in Arabic about al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and other individuals connected to terrorist groups who aren't named in the affidavit. The notebook also contained statements like "The Path to Jihad" and "defeat coalition and allies and America."

Find out what's happening in Kingstowne-Rose Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Investigators also found four Ziploc bags marked "5 lbs" and "AN." Laboratory tests revealed that the powder was primarily ammonium nitrate, with some other components. 

"Ammonium nitrate is one of the most common components of homemade explosives," the affidavit reads. According to the affidavit's author, ammonium nitrate needs to be combined with any kind of fuel in order to create an explosive.

Hours after finding Melaku's backpack, investigators went to his Franconia home. Inside, they found a laptop containing documents about bomb-making and explosives, and a video of Melaku allegedly shooting at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, one of the sites he is accused of shooting. 

In the video, Melaku allegedly says the following to the camera:

"I've already...that's the military building...last time I hit them, they turned off the lights for like four or five days. So now here we go again; this time I'm going to turn it off permanently. Alright next time this video turns on, I will be shooting. That's what they get. That's my target. That's the military building. It's going to be attacked."

Investigators also found a materials list with the heading "Timer." The ingredients could be used to make a timer and firing mechanism on an improvised explosive device, according to an FBI bomb technician:

  1. 9 volt alklaline [sic] battery
  2. Battery connector for 9 volt
  3. 20 gauge insulated and stranded wire
  4. electric tape
  5. epoxy or super glue
  6. digital kitchen countdown timer
  7. Bulb
  8. LED light
  9. Transistor

On the list, the battery, electrical tape, epoxy, and countdown timer were crossed out.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Kingstowne-Rose Hill