All articles tagged with #firebombing
A car with a 'Happy Chanukah' sign was firebombed in Melbourne, suspected to be an antisemitic attack, shortly after a deadly terror attack at Bondi Beach. Authorities are investigating, and community leaders express concern over rising antisemitism in Australia.
Cody Balmer pleaded guilty to arson and attempted murder for firebombing Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence, where the governor and his family were present, and was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.
Eighty years after the US firebombed Kumagaya, Japan, during the final hours of WWII, the city still bears scars and memories of the attack, which killed at least 260 people and destroyed much of the city, just before Japan's surrender. Survivors and historians reflect on the tragedy, its causes, and its legacy of peace symbols and remembrance.
An 82-year-old woman, Karen Diamond, died from injuries sustained in a Molotov cocktail attack during a peaceful demonstration in Boulder supporting Israeli hostages, carried out by Mohamed Soliman who faces multiple charges including first-degree murder and hate crimes.
A federal judge rejected Sean 'Diddy' Combs' request for a mistrial in his sex trafficking trial, where prosecutors were accused of implying he interfered with an investigation into a 2012 firebombing of rapper Kid Cudi’s Porsche. The trial continues with the judge instructing the jury to disregard certain testimony about fingerprint records destroyed months after the incident.
Former Marine Chance Brannon was sentenced to nine years in prison for firebombing a Planned Parenthood clinic in California and admitted to planning additional attacks on another clinic, an electric substation, and an LGBTQ pride night celebration. The 24-year-old, who was stationed at Camp Pendleton at the time of the bombing, pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts and has been in federal custody since his arrest in June 2023. His co-defendants have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Former Marine Chance Brannon was sentenced to nine years in prison for firebombing a Southern California Planned Parenthood clinic in 2022. He pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts and admitted to planning additional attacks on a second Planned Parenthood clinic, a Southern California Edison substation, and an LGBTQ pride night celebration at Dodger Stadium. Brannon, who was an active-duty Marine at the time of the bombing, has been in federal custody since his arrest in June 2023. His co-defendants have also pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in May. U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney described Brannon's actions as "cruel and indefensible domestic terrorism."
Conservative groups in Minnesota, including the Center of the American Experiment, report that their offices were firebombed in what they believe to be politically motivated violence. The FBI, ATF, and local authorities are investigating the fires as arson. The offices of two other conservative groups, the Upper Midwest Law Center and TakeCharge, also suffered fire damage. TakeCharge, run by Black conservative Kendall Qualls, likened the incident to white supremacist terrorism and raised concerns about the targeting of a Black man.
A third man, Xavier Batten, has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the firebombing of a Planned Parenthood clinic in California. Batten, along with two other men, including a US marine, is accused of conspiring to attack the clinic due to its provision of reproductive health services. The other suspects, Tibet Ergul and Chance Brannon, are expected to be arraigned on Monday. All three men face charges of conspiracy and malicious destruction of property by fire and explosion. Abortion providers have seen an increase in attacks, with assaults against clinic patients and staff rising by 128% in 2021.
Two men from Orange County, California, have been arrested and charged with using a Molotov cocktail to firebomb a Costa Mesa clinic operated by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America last year. The men, Tibet Ergul, 21, and Chance Brannon, 23, were charged with using an explosive or fire to damage property. The attack took place on March 13, 2022, and forced the clinic to close the next morning and cancel dozens of appointments. The building sustained about $1,000 worth of damage from the fire. Both men are scheduled to be arraigned on July 24.
An active duty Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton and another man are facing federal charges for allegedly using a Molotov cocktail to firebomb a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa, California, in March 2022. The two men were arrested by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and charged with using an explosive or fire to damage real property affecting interstate commerce. The Marine Corps does not comment on ongoing legal matters. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
Two men, including an active duty Marine, have been arrested on federal charges for using a Molotov cocktail to firebomb a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa, California. The attack caused the clinic to close and cancel approximately 30 appointments. The defendants are charged with using an explosive or fire to damage real property affecting interstate commerce, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are conducting the ongoing investigation.
A Boston man has been arrested for allegedly firebombing an anti-abortion group in Wisconsin on Mother's Day 2022. Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, was identified as a suspect after DNA from a partially eaten burrito he discarded was found to match DNA recovered from evidence at the arson. He was charged with attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive, a felony, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. No injuries were reported in the attack.
Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, was arrested at Boston airport and charged with setting fire to the office of Wisconsin Family Action, an anti-abortion group, last year. DNA evidence was obtained from a partially eaten burrito that matched the DNA found at the scene of the fire. Roychowdhury was charged with one felony count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.
Federal authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with the firebombing of an anti-abortion lobbying group's office in Wisconsin, nearly a year later, with the help of DNA from a half-eaten burrito. Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, has been charged with one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive. The attack happened on May 8, 2022, and the suspect was arrested at an airport in Boston with a one-way ticket to Guatemala. If convicted, he would face a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of up to 20 years in prison.