Man accused of firing shots, damaging federal building
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A man accused of firing shots at a federal courthouse in Tennessee has been charged with destruction of government property.
Mark Thomas Reno is accused of firing at the federal building in Knoxville on July 3 and damaging three windows, according to court documents. Reno was remanded to custody during a detention hearing Thursday on the single charge.
An FBI affidavit said Reno was under surveillance as part of an undercover investigation and a tracking device showed his vehicle at the federal building at the time shots were fired. Security cameras on the federal building also captured video of the vehicle, the affidavit said.
An undercover FBI agent who met with Reno before the building was damaged said the defendant attended the U.S. Capitol riot in January 2021, but there’s no evidence he broke any laws. The affidavit also said Reno belongs to a group with a mission to resist actions that oppose Catholic orthodoxy and that he made a number of statements about identifying targets and destroying property, including government buildings.
A federal public defender was appointed to represent Reno. She did not immediately respond Friday to a call seeking comment.
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