Indian-origin man arrested for firebombing building in US

An Indian-origin man has been arrested for firebombing a Madison office building in the US state of Wisconsin in May 2022, the Justice Department said.

Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, of Madison, who was arrested from Boston's International Airport last week is charged with one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive, the department said in a statement.

If convicted, Roychowdhury faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison.

“According to the complaint, Roychowdhury used an incendiary device in violation of federal law in connection with his efforts to terrorise and intimidate a private organisation,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

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“I commend the commitment and professionalism of law enforcement personnel who worked exhaustively to ensure that justice is served.”

On Mother’s Day on May 8, 2022, at approximately 6.06 am, law enforcement responded to an active fire at an office building located in Madison, Wisconsin.

Outside of the building, someone spray-painted on one wall, “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either” and, on another wall, a large “A” with a circle around it and the number “1312.”

During the investigation, law enforcement collected DNA from the scene of the attack.

In March 2023, law enforcement identified Roychowdhury as a possible suspect and collected his DNA from the food he threw in the trash can.

Law enforcement officers advised that a forensic biologist, who examined the DNA evidence recovered from the attack scene and compared it to the DNA collected from the food contents, found the two samples matched and likely were the same individual.

Law enforcement arrested Roychowdhury at Boston Logan International Airport last week. A date for his appearance in federal court in Madison has not been set.