Man Arrested For Setting Fire To Sanders’ Office
A suspect was charged in connection to an apparent arson attack outside of the office of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The arrest followed an investigation into the incident which caused alarm for the senator’s staff and the city of Burlington, Vermont, which Sanders was previously mayor of.
Shant Soghomonian was arrested after allegedly setting the fire on Friday. The suspect is believed to have entered the third-floor office in Burlington, spraying something on the door and then setting it on fire.
A photo of Soghomonian outside of the office has been released. The fire caused a small fire in the building that was quickly put out by sprinklers. There were no injuries caused by the fire and the senator was not in the office at the time.
Man arrested for setting fire at Sen. Bernie Sanders' office; motive remains unclear https://t.co/98e24URecw
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 7, 2024
“A significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, impeding the egress of staff members who were working in the office and endangering their lives,” said the Burlington Police Department. “The sprinkler system then engaged and largely extinguished the fire.”
The sprinkler system caused significant water damage to the third floor. Both Sanders’ office and nearby offices were evacuated.
The suspect was charged with arson and faces a possible jail sentence of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
The incident was under investigation by a number of local police departments, as well as the Vermont State Police and federal law enforcement.
The cause of the suspect’s alleged arson was not clear.
The fire followed a number of potential threats against elected officials nationwide. There have been threatening statements made to a number of politicians in the last several years, especially against major candidates.
There was a recent arrest of a person threatening both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. There have been a number of threats against the former president since he started his first run for the White House in 2015 and even during his time in office.
