Bernie Sanders’ office targeted in arson attack
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
A suspected arsonist has been arrested for setting fire to the office of US Senator Bernie Sanders.
Shant Soghomonian, 35, has been charged with using fire to damage a building in Burlington, Vermont, where Mr Sanders’ office is located.
Security video shows the suspect spraying a liquid near the outer door of the third-floor office before starting a blaze with a lighter, according to the Department of Justice.
The fire damaged the outside of the door to the office and caused sprinklers throughout the building to discharge, added prosecutors. The sprinklers extinguished the fire before the firefighters arrived.
Although Mr Sanders was not in the office on Friday morning, when the incident happened, several of his staff were there but no injuries were reported.
Soghomonian, also known as Michael Soghomonian, previously of Northridge, California, was arrested on Sunday.
An initial court appearance has not been scheduled. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, prosecutors said.
“A special thank you to Burlington Police Department detectives, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, as well as the US Attorney’s Office for the integral role they played in bringing swift resolution to this investigation,” said Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, the mayor of Burlington.
Mr Sanders is a former mayor of Burlington who has been a US Senator since 2007. The 82-year-old sits as an independent senator for Vermont but tends to vote with the Democrats.
He is widely viewed as the leader of the progressive movement in the US and supports a range of Left-wing policies, such as universal healthcare and higher taxes for the wealthy.
Mr Sanders was the runner-up to Joe Biden in the race for the Democrat nomination in the 2020 presidential election.
