Bernie Sanders' Office in Vermont Burned in Arson Attack, Officials Say
Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, a Democratic ally, just had his office burned in an arson attack, according to police, who revealed that the motive is still unclear. This is the latest attack on a politician as the US presidential elections approach.
It was a deliberate attack on the US senator, but nobody was injured during the attack, with the independent senator himself being away when the blaze was started, according to the Associated Press.
The arson attack itself happened while people were still inside the senator's office, which is located in Burlington, Vermont. Authorities have revealed that the suspected arsonist is male, and he sprayed what the authorities described as a possible accelerant on the office door. The suspect then lit the door up before running away from the scene.
Burlington police have admitted that the suspect is still at large, but they are already looking for him. Meanwhile, firefighters evacuated not just the people in the senator's office but also the ones in nearby offices that shared the building with the senator's political headquarters in the state he represented.
The Associated Press tried to reach Senator Sanders's office for comment, but the Vermont senator was not in his office at that time.
Damage in Arson Attack on Bernie Sanders's Office Was Minimal But Could Have Been Worse
As for the damage the arson attack caused, authorities say there were just minor damages, and nobody was injured. The biggest damage was with the door that the suspect had sprayed the possible accelerant with, as the fire was quickly contained by the office's sprinkler system.
However, authorities admitted that if the sprinkler system did not work, the attack could have been much worse, according to ABC News, as the fire engulfed the door and prevented the office workers from escaping.
"A significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, impeding the egress of staff members who were working in the office and endangering their lives," said the Burlington Police Department in a statement. "The sprinkler system then engaged and largely extinguished the fire."
Bernie Sanders Slams Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Over Killings in Gaza
Meanwhile, as the Vermont senator, who is Jewish, was dealing with an arson attack in his office back home, he is also dealing with the war in Gaza. He slammed the state of Israel over the killings happening there, particularly Benjamin Netanyahu.
In an interview with MSNBC, he told Netanyahu to "Stop murdering innocent people," before pointing out that "Two-thirds of the people who have been killed, over 32,000 people have been killed [in Gaza], are women and children. This is inexcusable."
"What's going on in Gaza now is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the modern history of the world," the Jewish senator added. "I mean, we're talking about the possibility of hundreds of thousands of children and others starving to death.
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Written by: Rick Martin
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