Tag: arson

Deadly Palisades Fire set ‘maliciously’ by Florida firebug Jonathan Rinderknecht, feds say

A 29-year-old Biden-supporting Uber driver obsessed with images of fire has been charged with setting a blaze that later grew into the Palisades Fire, authorities said Wednesday — nine months after the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history erupted.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of “maliciously” sparking a brush fire on Jan. 1. That fire was knocked down by the Los Angeles fire department, but continued to smolder unnoticed, underground for days before high winds rekindled it into the raging Palisades inferno, federal prosecutors said.

The Palisades Fire left 12 people dead, destroyed nearly 7,000 homes and businesses and caused about $150 billion in damages.

Rinderknecht, who lived in the area at some point, allegedly ignited the flames near a popular hiking trail in the hillside of a state park at about 12:12 a.m. on New Year’s Day – just moments after dropping off his Uber passengers nearby, federal prosecutors said.

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Liberal MP calls church burnings ‘conspiracy theories’ despite local arsons

A Liberal MP is facing criticism after dismissing a wave of church burnings and acts of vandalism as “conspiracy theories,” despite numerous church arsons, including some near his local riding in Hamilton.

During debate in the House of Commons on proposed hate-crime legislation, Liberal MP John-Paul Danko (Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas) accused Conservatives of “repeating conspiracy theories” rather than addressing “real hate crimes.”

“If we want to talk about real hate crimes, and I’m not quoting, you know, alt-right, so-called alternative news, I’m talking about Jewish members in my community who are covering their Jewish identity in public, that is the hate that we’re talking about, that this bill seeks to address.”

Danko’s response was in relation to True North’s church arson incident map hosted on Juno News which has catalogued 123 instances of arson or vandalism since 2021.

Conservative MP Andrew Lawton responded on X, calling the attacks “real hate,” and highlighted dozens of firebombings and acts of vandalism against churches and synagogues since 2021.

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Nepal’s PM quits and flees as his house is burned down by protesters who also chase finance minister through streets and attack him following outcry over social media ban

Nepal’s Prime Minister has resigned and fled after protesters burned down his house and chased his finance minister through the streets before attacking him, following public fury over a social media ban. 

Young Nepalis are leading angry protests across the country, with violence spreading in the capital and other cities. 

After enraged crowds torched KP Sharma Oli’s home, a new video footage has shown how Bishnu Prasad Paudel was pursued and set upon by a mob through the streets of Kathmandu.  

In the shocking clip, Paudel, 65, is seen sprinting down a road as dozens run after him. A protester coming from the other side leaps and kicks him, sending him crashing against a red wall.

The government official quickly gets up, stumbles, but starts running again before the video ends. Paudel, who doubles as the deputy prime minister of the country, has faced intense criticism since he began running Nepal’s economic affairs last year. 

Meanwhile, Oli, 73, stepped down a day after one of the bloodiest crackdowns in years left at least 19 dead. 

He had only begun his fourth term last year, following a coalition deal between his Communist Party and the centre-left Nepali Congress.

His departure came after three other ministers also resigned, even though the government had lifted the ban on social media. The country’s president, Ram Chandra Poudel, has now started the process of selecting a new leader. 

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Texas Woman Sentenced for ‘Devastating and Dangerous’ Arson Attack on Washington Church

A 38-year-old woman from Temple, Texas, was sentenced Thursday for setting a Washington state church on fire in 2023.

Natasha Marie O’Dell will spend the next six years in prison after her sentencing on three felonies, Fox 7 reported on Saturday.

In a press release on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington said O’Dell committed arson in targeting the Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church (SLLC) in Snohomish County on August 25, 2023.

She was visiting relatives in Woodinville at the time, and officials later linked her to the crime through cell phone records, credit card records, and surveillance video.

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Stats Show Shocking Surge In Attacks On Churches In America

In 2024, the United States witnessed a significant uptick in acts of hostility targeting churches, with a total of 436 documented incidents—a sharp increase from 315 in 2023 and nearly double the 230 reported in 2022.

This data, compiled by the Family Research Council (FRC), highlights a troubling trend amid broader societal shifts, including a decline in regular religious attendance from 42% to 30% over the past two decades, according to Gallup polls.

The incidents spanned a wide range of hostile actions across 43 states. Vandalism was the most prevalent, accounting for 284 cases that included property destruction, defacement, burglary, and ransacking.

Arson followed with 55 events, encompassing both confirmed attempts and fires of uncertain origin, occasionally linked to individuals struggling with mental health.

Gun-related incidents surged to 28, more than doubling from 12 the previous year, involving threats, brandishing during services, and actual shootings. Bomb threats numbered 14, primarily hoaxes delivered via calls or emails.

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He/They Xe/She Arrested in Rural MI Upper Peninsula Community After Being Caught On Surveillance Camera Throwing Molotov Cocktail Into Local GOP Office

19-year-old Zayn Arcand, who describes himself as “he/they xe/she” and “demi boy, pansexual, emo artist and (high functioning) autistic,” has been arrested in his hometown of Iron Mountain, Michigan, after he was reportedly captured on a surveillance video attempting to throw a Molotov cocktail into a building where the local Dickinson Republican Party Committee has an office. Arcand goes by “Atomic Havoc” on social media.

Arcand was charged with manufacturing and possessing an explosive and arson by the Iron Mountain Police Department. According to the press release, on Saturday, around 3:55 pm (in broad daylight), Arcand was captured on surveillance video using a Molotov cocktail in an attempt to burn down the building containing the Dickinson County Republican Committee’s office.

Earlier today, Jeff Solka, Director of Police and Fire Services, released a statement to explain:

On Saturday, July 12, 2025, at approximately 3:55 p.m., the Iron Mountain Police Department received a report of a suspicious person in the area of 617 North Stephenson Avenue, the location of the Dickinson County Republican Committee Headquarters.

The caller observed the individual attempting to light a rag sticking out of a glass bottle, then throwing the unlit bottle at
the building.

Officers reviewed footage from surveillance cameras in the area, Officers were able to see the subject on video, attempting to light a rag sticking out of a glass bottle containing liquid. The subject did not get the rag to light and threw the glass bottle at the window, causing the bottle to shatter. A second broken glass bottle was located in the parking lot. This bottle contained an unknown liquid and had a rag sticking out of the top.

Officers were able to identify the suspect in the videos and located him at his home. Upon speaking with the suspect, he admitted to making the bottles in his driveway and he threw the bottle at the building, to send a message against the corruption. The suspect was hoping what he made was flammable and would ignite.

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Antifa Rioters Charged With Arson And Assault In Portland

The Trump-led DOJ has charged four individuals in connection with the violent anti-ICE riots that broke out in June in Oregon. 

The defendants, some allegedly caught on video, spent several weeks targeting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and assaulting federal officers, prosecutors said in a press statement on Tuesday. 

One of the individuals, 31‑year‑old August Dean Gordon, pulled a proximity card reader from its stanchion on the facility’s driveway. He kicked, grabbed and injured five officers during his arrest, the DOJ said.  

That same evening, 33‑year‑old Nadya Malinowska refused orders to leave the site. Meanwhile, 35‑year‑old David Pearl attempted to interfere with officers’ arrest of another rioter. 

On June 11, prosecutors said 34-year-old Trenten Edward Barker retrieved a lit flare from his backpack and tossed it into a barricade of debris near the ICE facility. 

Malinowska and Pearl each face misdemeanor charges for failing to obey a lawful order; Pearl also face a count of creating a disturbance. 

Gordon and Barker are charged with willful depredation of government property and assaulting a federal officer. Barker additionally faces an arson charge. 

According to journalist Andy Ngo, the rioters are affiliated with Antifa.

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Top blue city councilor is arrested by FBI over arson and fraud plot

A city councilman in a small northern California community was arrested for allegedly burning down a farmhouse he owned so he and his accomplices could fraudulently collect on the insurance money.

Live Oak Vice Mayor Aaron Pamma, 30, was taken to jail Thursday along with his brother Simren Pamma, 28, who is a Live Oak Unified School District board member.

Also arrested for the alleged scheme was Gurtej Singh, 28, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

The fire in question happened in February of 2024, authorities say Singh purchased the property in April 2023 under a Department of Agriculture mortgage scheme.

One month after the purchase, Singh transferred half of the ownership of the land to the two brothers, the Butte County DA’s office said.

The office confirmed to CBS Sacramento that the two are brothers and are friends with Singh.

Cal Fire Investigators said they discovered that Singh had purchased insurance for the property three months before the blaze. 

After the fire, he then allegedly filed a false insurance claim on the property, officials said.

The property was sold on after the fire and the three collected an insurance payment which gave them a profit of $200,000, the DA’s office said.

The three are facing charges of arson, Aaron Pamma is facing additional charges of fraud, perjury, supporting a false insurance claim and conspiracy to destroy insured property for fraud.

Simren Pamma is facing a charge of conspiracy to destroy insured property for fraud. 

Singh meanwhile faces charges of fraud, wire fraud, destroying an insured property for fraud, presenting a false insurance claim and perjury. 

Another man, Javier Molina-Bravo, 37, was charged with felony counts of check fraud last March.

Authorities say Molina-Bravo runs Big Dog Handyman and was hired to renovate the farmhouse. 

It is alleged that he purchased thousands of dollars’ worth of goods and materials from multiple businesses using checks on a non-existent bank account.

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Antifa Blog Posts Anonymous Confession Taking Credit for Arson Attack on Multiple NYPD Vehicles

An Antifa blog has posted an anonymous confession taking credit for an arson attack on multiple New York Police Department vehicles.

Eight NYPD vehicles parked near the 83rd precinct in Brooklyn were set on fire during the early morning of Thursday, June 12th.

A post to the anarchist blog “Never Sleep” titled “Solidarity with Los Angeles! Arson attack on multiple NYPD vehicles” was said to be written by the arsonist.

The post began, “Multiple NYPD cars were set on fire in the early, early morning of Thursday June 12th. The cars were just waiting there, practically begging for a new makeover! Tips on replicating this can be found on most counterinfo sites or just common knowledge; this was way easy. And so fun. Apologies to the community for the smell and the noise. And fuck you and haha to that pig—yeah, you know who you are.”

“There are many reasons for doing this, but for the sake of time it can be boiled down to four: 1) Solidarity with the uprising happening in Los Angeles where community and rebels are fighting Amerikkkan pig forces. From one cop city to another, death to the pigs and the surveillance state. 2) Revenge for the NYPD’s continuous physical and sexual harassment/assault of protestors, particularly femmes (incidents include removing of hijabs, forced nudity, degrading remarks, and more). 3) Something to show that repression breeds resistance and 4) Demonstrating that solidarity with the Palestinian resistance, immigrants, Black people doesn’t mean pointless demos where everyone gets arrested, endless marches to nowhere, and vapid chants. Solidarity means ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!”

The post was signed, “Sincerely, the anarchists and the rats and the brats and the lawless.”

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British Police Investigate Mysterious Fires at Prime Minister’s Residence

British counterterrorism police are now reportedly  investigating a series of suspected arson attacks targeting properties associated with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, though authorities reported no injuries resulting from the incidents, which occurred over the past week.

The fires were set at two locations: a four-bedroom house in north London that Starmer currently rents out, and an apartment building where he once owned a residence. Additionally, a vehicle caught fire near one of the properties.

The Metropolitan Police have stated that, due to the connection to a high-profile public figure, the investigation is being led by their Counter Terrorism Command.

Starmer, who has served as Prime Minister since 2024, resides with his wife and children at the official residence on Downing Street.

The house in north London, which he rented out after moving to government housing, was the site of a fire in the early hours of Monday morning.

Earlier, on Sunday, flames were reported in the doorway of the apartment building linked to Starmer. The vehicle fire occurred in proximity to the house, prompting police to investigate potential links between all three incidents.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the police’s efforts but refrained from offering further comments on the ongoing investigation.

The police have emphasized the seriousness of the situation, particularly given the implications of targeting a prominent political figure.

Local residents have expressed concern over the fires, noting the potential risks associated with such violent acts. “It’s alarming to think that something like this could happen so close to home,” said one neighbor, who requested anonymity.

“We expect our leaders to be safe, and it’s unsettling to see this kind of threat.”

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