BURLINGTON, Vt. — A man has been charged with setting a fire outside the Vermont office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to federal prosecutors.
Shant Soghomonian, 35, who was previously from Northridge, California, entered the building on Friday and went to Sanders’ third-floor office where security video showed him spraying a liquid on the door and igniting it, officials said.
The building’s interior suffered some damage from the fire and sprinklers that doused the area with water, but no one was hurt. Sanders, an independent, was not in the office at the time.
Soghomonian was arrested on Sunday on a charge of using fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce, according to a statement from Nikolas Kerest, the U.S. attorney for Vermont.
The motive remained unclear. Soghomonian was detained on Sunday and could not be reached for comment. It was not immediately known if had a lawyer, and an initial court appearance had not been set, officials said.
The crime 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 U.S. Capitol Police, officials said.
