Metro: Suspect in attack on power facility in Las Vegas said it was for "greater good"

A man accused of committing an act of terrorism against a Las Vegas power facility allegedly told police that when he burned a car next to a transformer, it was not with intent to sabotage, but for the “greater good” — which he defined as clean energy, according to a Metro Police report.

Mohammed Mesmarian, 34, was arrested Thursday at Lake Mead’s Boulder Beach. Though he was taken into custody without incident, he attempted to escape, saying he at least had to try, police claim in the report.

He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on counts of committing an act of terrorism, first-degree arson, third-degree arson, destroying or injuring real or personal property of another and escape by a felony prisoner, police said.

Mesmarian allegedly broke into the Mega Solar Array facility Jan. 3. He crashed his car through a security fence surrounding a transformer and control house and took pictures of both with his phone before turning off part of a “transfer switch” and attempting to enter the control room, police claim in the report.

Surveillance video showed Mesmarian parking the car west of a retention pit, and setting it on fire, police claim. He allegedly attempted to place a brick or rock on the accelerator so the vehicle would move forward, and it eventually entered the retention pit.

In an interview with police, Mesmarian admitted to burning the vehicle, saying he did it “for the future.” He described himself as someone who likes clean sources of energy, and is against carbon admissions, oil and coal energy.

He indicated that he burned the car, which he said belonged to his grandmother, because it reminded him of harmful memories of his past and would liberate him, and as a way to let go of old forms of energy, including gas and oil.

Mesmarian said he sat in a chair and watched the car burn, adding that he felt “let go” and at “peace” while it happened.

When asked if he would do it again, Mesmarian allegedly told police, “Oh yeah. 100 … No regret.”

The Mega Solar Array facility is owned and operated by Invenergy and AEP Renewables, according to the Invenergy website. An Invenergy site manager at the plant told police the extent of the damage Mesmarian allegedly caused was unknown but could be extensive.

The unit that Mesmarian targeted is sensitive to heat and — if damaged — would cost millions of dollars to fix and take about two years to replace, the Invenergy manager told police in the report.

Mesmarian also allegedly closed a “cap bank,” which prevented solar power from being filtered and moving to the unit for final output. The site manager told police that, had the system automatically turned the panel back on, the system itself could have been destroyed and millions of dollars in damages could have occurred.

A spokesperson for Invenergy told the Las Vegas Sun that the facility, which provides energy to 13 Las Vegas Strip properties belonging to MGM Resorts, was initially shut down as a precaution, in accordance with industry-standard safety protocols.

The spokesperson said Saturday that the facility was expected to be fully operational this week.

Though Mesmarian allegedly admitted to shutting off a valve and creating a disruption in power, he denied he was trying to sabotage the unit. Instead, he told police in the report, he did it for “the big message” and “larger picture” of clean energy.

Mesmarian claimed the terrorism act was not intended to disable the infrastructure, but rather represented “moving forward in the world,” the report said.