Justice Department charges Marine in firebombing of California Planned Parenthood clinic

An active-duty Marine and another individual have been charged with using a Molotov cocktail to firebomb a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa, California, in March 2022, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

According to the DOJ, the two men from California - Chance Brannon, a corporal in the Marines, and Tibet Ergul - were arrested and charged Wednesday morning with "using an explosive or fire to damage real property affecting interstate commerce."

The men are expected to make their initial appearance in federal court Wednesday afternoon in Santa Ana, California.

"The complaint alleges that Ergul and Brannon attacked the clinic during the early morning hours of March 13, 2022," the DOJ's announcement of the arrest states, "by igniting and a throwing a Molotov cocktail at the clinic entrance. As a result of the fire, the Planned Parenthood Costa Mesa healthcare clinic was forced to close the following morning and cancel approximately 30 appointments."

The Planned Parenthood in Costa Mesa provides reproductive health services, including abortion-related services, and was forced to cancel dozens of appointments after the incident.

Nobody was harmed during the incident, Planned Parenthood said in a statement thanking the FBI and Costa Mesa law enforcement on Wednesday.

"While we are fortunate and grateful that no one was harmed, we stand firm against those who would wish to intimidate our staff, patients and supporters. Their safety is our highest priority, and we will not be deterred in our mission to provide expert, compassionate care to our community, as we have done for over 50 years," said Nichole Ramirez, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties.

The US Marine Corps declined to comment to CNN, citing the ongoing legal matter.