Suspect arrested in arson attack at Bernie Sanders’ office

A suspect has been arrested over the arson attack at Bernie Sanders’ office in Burlington, Vermont.

Shant Soghomonian, 35, has been charged with one count of intentionally setting a fire with the purpose of damaging the independent senator’s office, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.

He faces a minimum of five years in prison and heavy fines if convicted.

Security footage shows a man spraying a chemical accelerant on the door of the senator’s third floor office in Burlington. The man is then seen lighting the liquid on fire before leaving the building. No injuries were reported despite multiple staffers reportedly being in the building at the time.

Mr Soghomonian has not yet retained legal counsel, according to reports.

Burlington police are coordinating with US Capitol Police, which investigates crimes that target lawmakers, in the investigation. A spokesperson for the Burlington police department described the blaze as being “a significant fire” which “engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, impeding the egress of staff members who were working in the office and endangering their lives”.

Police issued a photo of the suspect who set Bernie Sanders’s Vermont office on fire (Burlington Police Department)

The fire was largely extinguised by onsite fire suppression sprinklers, while firefighters dealt with the remainder.

“We are grateful to the Burlington Fire and Police Departments who responded immediately today to a fire incident that took place in our office building,” the senator’s office said in a statement. “We are relieved that no one on our staff and, to our understanding, no one in the building was harmed.”

“Thank you as well to the Vermont State Police for their assistance and the efforts of the US Capitol Police and the Senate Sergeant at Arms, who are working in coordination with local first responders.”

Mr Sanders was not present when the attack occurred. The Senate is adjourned until Monday.

The Vermont senator was just in the headlines this past week after he joined President Joe Biden in a clear bid to boost the incumbent Democratic president’s re-election bid. On Wednesday, he was at the White House for an event promoting an effort the two men backed to lower costs for inhalers and other prescription drugs, while the Biden campaign also released a campaign featuring the onetime Democratic primary rivals yukking it up over comments made by Donald Trump at a GOP fundraiser.

A champion of the progressive movement who finished second in two consecutive presidential primaries, Mr Sanders is no stranger to threats against his life. Multiple individuals have faced charges over threatening his life in the past, including one Maryland man who would go on to be imprisoned for more than a decade for robbing a 7-Eleven and starting fires.

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