Working in politics has its challenges. But this incident is beyond any politician’s wildest imagination.
And a panic ignites after this Democrat Senator’s office is set on fire.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was the victim of an attack last Friday when his Burlington, Vermont office was lit on fire.
Shant Soghomonian, a 35-year-old man from California, is the suspect responsible for the fire and was arrested for “using fire to damage a building,” the Department of Justice reported on Sunday.
California man arrested in suspected arson fire at Vermont office of Sen Bernie Sanders
Justice Dept alleges Shant Soghomonian was recorded on video spraying liquid near outer door of office, then lighting the area w/ handheld lighter
Sprinklers discharged, no one inside hurt
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) April 8, 2024
Soghomonian went into the building on Friday morning and located the floor in which Sanders’ office is, according to records from the court.
Security tapes show him spraying some sort of liquid on an exterior door of the office before using a lighter to start the fire.
Once the fire was started, the sprinklers in the building went off and the frame of the door was damaged.
Firefighters then arrived to the building and saw “a fire in the vestibule between the elevator and the entrance door to [Sanders’] office.”
A fire that started Friday morning at Bernie Sanders' Vermont office is being investigated as arson after an unknown male subject is seen spraying what appears to be accelerant on the entrance door. pic.twitter.com/cdZ0vaFFi6
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 6, 2024
There were several members of Sanders’ staff in the building, but thankfully none of them were injured. Sen. Sanders was also absent from the building and was not harmed.
“I am deeply grateful to the swift, professional, coordinated efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement in response to the fire at my Vermont office on Friday,” a statement by Sanders read.
“I am also thankful that none of the many people who were in the office building at the time of the fire were injured.”
At the time this article is being written, no motive has been discovered for why Soghomonian decided to start the fire.
If he ends up being convicted as guilty, he could face a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,500.
Sanders’ office is in highly traveled area by pedestrians in Burlington, Vermont.
If the fire escalated more than it did, people could have been seriously harmed, or worse.
This incident comes at a time where political tensions are at an all time high. And while the Soghomonian’s motivation isn’t clear just yet, more violence and malicious acts against politicians continues to be on the uprise. Just take a look at the recent “swattings” that have happened against numerous politicians where people will call in a fake violent crime to 911 against them and have the police rush their houses fully armed
Gone are the days when people could disagree with their political opponents without having to resort to violence or in this case lighting a fire in a senator’s office building.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
