Wisconsin Man Charged with pro-life pregnancy center Firebombing

[oxmixmudd]

Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wisconsin-man-charged-firebombing-building

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Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 28, 2023Wisconsin Man Charged with Firebombing Building

Defendant Arrested in Boston Today

A Wisconsin man was arrested today on a charge related to the May 2022 firebombing of a Madison office building.

According to court documents, Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, of Madison, is charged with one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive. Roychowdhury was arrested earlier today in Boston.

“According to the complaint, Mr. Roychowdhury used an incendiary device in violation of federal law in connection with his efforts to terrorize and intimidate a private organization,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “I commend the commitment and professionalism of law enforcement personnel who worked exhaustively to ensure that justice is served.”

“This group of local and federal law enforcement officers has worked, with the federal prosecutors, diligently and creatively to move the investigation forward,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin. “This case is an example of the results law enforcement can achieve when local and federal law investigators work as a team.”

“Violence is never an acceptable way for anyone to express their views or their disagreement,” said Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “Today’s arrest demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to vigorously pursue those responsible for this dangerous attack and others across the country, and to hold them accountable for their criminal actions.”

According to the complaint, on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, 2022, at approximately 6:06 a.m., law enforcement responded to an active fire at an office building located in Madison, Wisconsin. Once inside the building, police observed a mason jar under a broken window; the jar was broken, and the lid and screw top were burned black. The police also saw a purple disposable lighter near the mason jar. On the opposite wall from the window, the police saw another mason jar with the lid on and a blue cloth tucked into the top; the cloth was singed. The jar was about half full of a clear fluid that smelled like an accelerant. 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. Local police officers observed Roychowdhury dispose of food in a public trash can; the officers recovered the leftover food and related items, and law enforcement collected DNA from the food. On March 17, 2023, law enforcement advised that a forensic biologist examined the DNA evidence recovered from the attack scene and compared it to the DNA collected from the food contents. The forensic biologist found the two samples matched and likely were the same individual.

In March 2023, Roychowdhury travelled from Madison, Wisconsin, to Portland, Maine, and he purchased a one-way ticket from Boston to Guatemala City, departing this morning. Law enforcement arrested Roychowdhury at Boston Logan International Airport. Roychowdhury will have a detention hearing in Boston.

Roychowdhury is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Boston today. A date for his appearance in federal court in Madison has not been set.

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

The Madison Police Department, Wisconsin State Capitol Police Department, ATF, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, Dane County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, with assistance provided by the FBI Boston Field Office, Boston Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Air Marshal Service, and Transportation Security Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman for the Western District of Wisconsin and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Beck for the District of Massachusetts handled the appearance in Boston.

A complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

© Copyright Original Source

The premise of this thread, and the many comments following, that somehow the prosecution of those fire bombing of a pro-life organization's facilities is of a lesser priority than those fire-bombing something like planned parenthood is bogus and incendiary (double entendre intended). But it is consistent with the paranoia that drives a large volume of what is posted in this forum. Bottom line - it is not reality.

Jim

[CivilDiscourse]

The premise of this thread, and the many comments following, that somehow the prosecution of those fire bombing of a pro-life organization's facilities is of a lesser priority than those fire-bombing something like planned parenthood is bogus and incendiary (double entendre intended). But it is consistent with the paranoia that drives a large volume of what is posted in this forum. Bottom line - it is not reality.

Jim

The premise behind your reply was that we should not talk about left wing political violence because it's acceptable.

[oxmixmudd]

The premise behind your reply was that we should not talk about left wing political violence because it's acceptable.

Why in the world would think a comment that magnifies the paranoia driving this thread is a suitable response? Amazing

The comments here are primarily about how 'unusaul' it is to see such a prosection. Phrases like

"But I am happy to see that the grassroots of that agency is capable of accomplishing something that runs counter to the administration's politics."

or

"...claimed those attacks couldn't be solved because they took place at night"

or

"I am almost suspicious that this arrest was meant to pacify FBI critics, ... "

or

"Where are the rest of the arrests for all the others involved in these?"

or

"It's about time someone was held accountable for the violence being perpetrated against pregnancy support clinics. "


all carry with them the paranoid delusion that law enforcement and the legal system somehow only vigorously pursues arrests and prosecutions for violence against organizations of a more liberal persuasion on the abortion issue. That somehow pro-life organizations are victims of some sort of injustice on that regard.

[mossrose]

Why in the world would think a comment that magnifies the paranoia driving this thread is a suitable response? Amazing

The comments here are primarily about how 'unusaul' it is to see such a prosection. Phrases like

"But I am happy to see that the grassroots of that agency is capable of accomplishing something that runs counter to the administration's politics."

or

"...claimed those attacks couldn't be solved because they took place at night"

or

"I am almost suspicious that this arrest was meant to pacify FBI critics, ... "

or

"Where are the rest of the arrests for all the others involved in these?"

or

"It's about time someone was held accountable for the violence being perpetrated against pregnancy support clinics. "


all carry with them the paranoid delusion that law enforcement somehow only vigorously pursues violence against organizations of a more liberal persuasion on the abortion issue. That somehow pro-life organizations are somehow victims of some sort of injustice on that regard.

Prove your accusations, Jim. Give us all the reports of all those arrested for violence against pro-life clinics. Go on, put proof to your allegations.

[CivilDiscourse]

Why in the world would think a comment that magnifies the paranoia driving this thread is a suitable response? Amazing

The comments here are primarily about how 'unusaul' it is to see such a prosection. Phrases like

"But I am happy to see that the grassroots of that agency is capable of accomplishing something that runs counter to the administration's politics."

or

"...claimed those attacks couldn't be solved because they took place at night"

or

"I am almost suspicious that this arrest was meant to pacify FBI critics, ... "

or

"Where are the rest of the arrests for all the others involved in these?"

or

"It's about time someone was held accountable for the violence being perpetrated against pregnancy support clinics. "


all carry with them the paranoid delusion that law enforcement and the legal system somehow only vigorously pursues arrests and prosecutions for violence against organizations of a more liberal persuasion on the abortion issue. That somehow pro-life organizations are victims of some sort of injustice on that regard.

Then, ox, I kindly invite you to realize that you should stop mind-reading my purposes about my thread. If you stop making claims about my purposes without evidence, you won't find such stupidity reflected back at you.

[Ronson]

The premise of this thread, and the many comments following, that somehow the prosecution of those fire bombing of a pro-life organization's facilities is of a lesser priority than those fire-bombing something like planned parenthood is bogus and incendiary (double entendre intended). But it is consistent with the paranoia that drives a large volume of what is posted in this forum. Bottom line - it is not reality.

Jim

So, start a thread about a Planned Parenthood bombing suspect being arrested and maybe the narrative will change to your liking.

[Ronson]

Why in the world would think a comment that magnifies the paranoia driving this thread is a suitable response? Amazing

The comments here are primarily about how 'unusaul' it is to see such a prosection. Phrases like

"But I am happy to see that the grassroots of that agency is capable of accomplishing something that runs counter to the administration's politics."

And that quote (mine) says nothing about Planned Parenthood. It was in regard to the administrative portion of the FBI applying unequal justice, versus the lower levels. Like, Hunter Biden's laptop, full of emails implicating his father in influence peddling. The FBI administration took possession of it - never to be seen again. Gee, I wonder why.

[Gondwanaland]

The premise of this thread, and the many comments following, that somehow the prosecution of those fire bombing of a pro-life organization's facilities is of a lesser priority than those fire-bombing something like planned parenthood is bogus and incendiary (double entendre intended). But it is consistent with the paranoia that drives a large volume of what is posted in this forum. Bottom line - it is not reality.

Jim

Evidence please.

[oxmixmudd]

Prove your accusations, Jim. Give us all the reports of all those arrested for violence against pro-life clinics. Go on, put proof to your allegations.

The statements themselves are the proof Mossy. The statements themselves communicate the underlying belief that somehow violence against pro-life facilities or people is prosecuted less vigoriously than violence against pro-choice facilities or groups. There is nothing the prove, it's just what you and others have said in plain black and white text.

[Cow Poke]

It sure looks like the FBI is just fishing for pro-lifers to prosecute

The FBI is on a rampage against pro-life activists and protesters, having charged a dozen men and women with federal felonies in the last three weeks for offenses that allegedly occurred last year. Twice, the FBI has deployed platoons of armed agents to arrest middle-aged fathers with no record of violent crimes.

The picture is clear: Anyone who has ever been charged with a crime, even if the charges were dropped or were for a misdemeanor, should expect a visit from the Biden FBI if the old charges involved pro-life activism or advocacy.

This is a clear politicization of the Justice Department, putting the bureau at the service of the abortion lobby. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s DOJ has made it clear that its priority is locking up as many pro-lifers as possible and harassing the rest.

Tens of thousands of protesters and political activists have been involved in property destruction, disturbing the peace, minor scuffles, trespassing, and illegal protesting in the last few years. But the only cases the FBI seems to care about are the ones in which pro-lifers are the ones who arguably or possibly stepped over the line.

On Sept. 23, the FBI sent about 20 personnel to arrest pro-life activist Mark Houck at his home. Houck, in 2021, had shoved a pro-abortion activist who he said was verbally harassing his 11-year-old son. The activist, Bruce Love, brought private felony charges against Houck, but that case was reportedly dismissed.

Almost a year later, the FBI charged him with violating a federal law, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The FBI’s justification for resurrecting this since-dropped, year-old shoving incident is that Love was a volunteer “escort” at the abortion business, and so a scuffle with him rises to the level of a federal felony. It’s quite the federal law that gives special protections to abortion promoters but not abortion protesters.

A week later, the authorities reportedly showed up at a St. Paul, Minnesota, clinic to question a different pro-life activist.

Then, a week later, the authorities arrested 11 pro-lifers, including an 87-year-old lady, in Tennessee for an incident from 18 months earlier. The activists, it was alleged, deliberately blocked abortion workers from entering their clinic. The case was prosecuted on the local level as a misdemeanor.

.......

[Cow Poke]

THE FBI IS HUNTING A NEW DOMESTIC TERROR THREAT: ABORTION RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

FOLLOWING A CONCERTED effort by Republicans to pressure law enforcement agencies to target activists supporting the right to abortion, the FBI dramatically increased its caseload on abortion-related “domestic terrorism.”

Last year, as the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade sparked major protests nationwide, the FBI opened nearly 10 times as many investigations into cases of abortion-related domestic terrorism as it had in 2021, a new internal report reveals. While the report doesn’t say how many of these incidents were motivated by support for reproductive rights and how many were anti-abortion, the uptick follows calls by top Republicans in Congress for the bureau to pursue “pro-abortion terrorism.”

“Pro-abortion terrorism is sweeping our nation,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote in a column last June, lamenting that “only after the outcry from the pro-life community did the FBI announce an investigation” into Jane’s Revenge — a small group of activists that firebombed an anti-abortion pregnancy center on June 7, 2021 — and that the attorney general “has yet to launch a wider DOJ investigation.” While conceding “no one has been killed or seriously injured,” Rubio said, “Things will only get worse before they get better.” (Facebook later quietly designated Jane’s Revenge a terrorist organization, as The Intercept reported.)

Rubio’s column cited roughly 50 attacks on anti-abortion activists and institutions, linking to a list posted by the anti-abortion Family Research Council. Apart from the actions of Jane’s Revenge, most of the cases enumerated describe simple vandalism.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, similarly urged the bureau to go after so-called pro-choice extremists. “Responding to the current threat of pro-abortion violent extremism will require the FBI to continue its efforts to identify and investigate cases of abortion-related violence across our country at a high rate,” Grassley wrote in a June 27 letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray last year.

As vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and then-ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, respectively, both of which oversee the FBI, Rubio and Grassley were both in a position to influence bureau leadership, and it appears the bureau listened.

The FBI’s abortion-related terrorism investigations jumped from three cases in the fiscal year 2021 to 28 in 2022, a higher increase than any other category listed, according to an audit published by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General on June 6. The number of abortion-related cases in 2022 far exceeds that of all previous years included in the audit, going back to 2017.

[oxmixmudd]

Evidence please.

what are you looking for evidence for G? That people here think there is some sort of double standard on the prosecution of violence against pro-life vs pro-choice? The evidence of their paranoia is what they said, which I already posted. Or are you looking for proof their paranoia is unfounded? On that, one simply can't ever prove a negative. Irrational paranoia can't be reasoned against in the negative. However, whatever is feeding the paranoia can be reasoned against. But the paranoia being expressed here is being expressed de facto, without any supporting evidence.

[oxmixmudd]

So, start a thread about a Planned Parenthood bombing suspect being arrested and maybe the narrative will change to your liking.

"to my liking" is in your head, not mine. I'm simply pointing out this thread is just a feedback loop for irrational and unfounded paranoia, People illegally fire-bombing facilities are sought out and arrested if sufficient evidence is available to assign them the crime. Why they did the bombing and who they bombed is essentially irrelevant.

[mossrose]

The statements themselves are the proof Mossy. The statements themselves communicate the underlying belief that somehow violence against pro-life facilities or people is prosecuted less vigoriously than violence against pro-choice facilities or groups. There is nothing the prove, it's just what you and others have said in plain black and white text.

Jim, we have seen that violence against pro-life facilities are prosecuted less vigorously AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME than are those against pro-choice groups. If you have links to news articles that show us otherwise, then you are obligated to bring them to us to prove that what you are saying is not your own beliefs.

If you can't bring any articles then we must presume that your own paranoia is at work.

And why can't you just say, instead of accusing us of being irrational and paranoid, that the prosecution of this incident is a good thing? Can you just say that and then stop there? Because it seems that you never actually have an opinion about the op. You always are on the offensive.

[Gondwanaland]

what are you looking for evidence for G? That people here think there is some sort of double standard on the prosecution of violence against pro-life vs pro-choice? The evidence of their paranoia is what they said, which I already posted. Or are you looking for proof their paranoia is unfounded? On that, one simply can't ever prove a negative. Irrational paranoia can't be reasoned against in the negative. However, whatever is feeding the paranoia can be reasoned against. But the paranoia being expressed here is being expressed de facto, without any supporting evidence.

I'm looking for evidence of the claims you made, in particular the bolded parts. It appears you cannot provide any.