Man arrested for setting fire to US Sen. Bernie Sanders' office door in Vermont

[April 08, 2024]  (Reuters) - A man was arrested on Sunday on a charge of starting a fire outside the office of Senator Bernie Sanders in Burlington, Vermont, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the state. 

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gestures while delivering remarks on lowering healthcare costs, in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office building, at the White House complex in Washington, U.S., April, 3, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

Shant Soghomonian, 35, entered the building in downtown Burlington on Friday and headed to Sanders' office on the third floor. He was recorded by security cameras spraying a liquid near the door and setting it alight, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Sprinklers went off on multiple floors as Soghomonian departed via a staircase. There were several people inside the office but no one was injured, although the door and surrounding areas were damaged by the fire, the U.S. attorney's office said.

It was not immediately clear whether Soghomonian had a lawyer, and he could not be reached for comment.

Sanders is a long-serving independent in the U.S. Senate representing the northeastern state of Vermont, although in 2016 and 2020 he unsuccessfully sought to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Mark Porter)

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