The man accused of setting a fire outside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office in Vermont had been staying at an area hotel for nearly two months and was spotted outside Sanders’ office the day before and the day of the fire , according to the paperwork filed with the court. by a federal agent.
Shant Michael Soghomonian, 35, who was previously from Northridge, California, entered the building on Friday and went to Sanders’ office on the third floor, where security video showed him dumping a liquid on the bottom of the door and set it on fire with a lighter. according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge.
The interior of the building suffered some damage from the fire and sprinklers flooding the area with water, but no one was injured. Sanders, an independent, was out of office at the time. Seven employees who were working in the office at the time were unharmed and were able to evacuate.
The officer investigating saw what appeared to be the remains of a can of lighter fluid and a red cap on the floor near the office door.
According to the U.S. Attorney for Vermont, Soghomonian was arrested Sunday on charges of using fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce. He had been staying at the Inn at Burlington in South Burlington for several weeks, an employee told authorities, the affidavit said.
When police knocked on the hotel room door, they heard a man say he was getting dressed, according to an application to search the hotel room and a vehicle with New York license plates. Officers then heard what sounded like the man dragging heavy items toward the door. Officers grabbed a key and tried to open the door, but it was blocked, the court document said. They forced the door open and arrested Soghomonian without incident, they said.
Sanders said in a statement that he is “very grateful for the swift, professional, coordinated efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement in response to the fire” and grateful that none of the people in the office were injured.
The motive remained unclear. It was not immediately known whether Soghomonian had an attorney and an initial court appearance had not yet been scheduled, officials said. A phone message left with the Chittenden County Public Defender’s Office was not immediately returned. Soghomonian was being held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.
This offense carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by police departments in Burlington, Shelburne and Williston; Vermont State Police; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the U.S. Capitol Police, officials said.