Ohio man charged for using Molotov cocktails to attack church ahead of planned drag shows

Washington – A member of the Ohio branch of White Lives Matter has been charged with throwing Molotov cocktails at a church, the Justice Department announced Friday.

According to charging documents, Eman Penny — who investigators say is part of a pro-Nazi and anti-gay group — used vodka and beer bottles and gasoline to target Community Church in Chesterfield outside Toledo. Admitted to doing it.

On the morning of March 25, prosecutors allege church leaders found an exterior sign and burn marks on the front door of their building and a broken sign on the property. Church representatives told investigators that prior to the alleged attack, “they had received hate mail and messages protesting the drag incidents and non-specific threats of violence.”

A criminal complaint unsealed Friday revealed that this wasn’t Penny’s first time being targeted at drag events. According to prosecutors, on March 11, he attended a drag queen story hour “to distribute propaganda fliers representing the anti-drag queen views of White Lives Matter, Ohio” and wore “military-style clothing, including camouflage pants, A tactical vest, and was wearing. A jacket with patches depicting a firearm.”

At the same event, according to the government, members of the White Lives Matter group “were at the event carrying swastika flags and shouting racist and homophobic slogans and chants of ‘Heil Hitler’.”

In October of last year, the complaint alleges, Penny told local police that African-Americans were “the problem” and that he was looking forward to an “interracial civil war.”

Investigators say they were able to geolocate Penny’s phone on church property in the early morning hours of March 25.

During an FBI interview, charging documents claim the defendant told investigators he was responsible for the Chesterfield church attack and that he was “trying to protect the children and stop the drag show event. ”

According to court documents, “Penny stated that he became increasingly angry that night after watching news feeds and Internet videos of drag shows in France and decided to attack the church.” “[He] He said he would have felt better if the Molotov cocktails had been more effective and burned the entire church to the ground.”

Penny’s attorney was not immediately identified.

News of the attack on Penny’s church came days after investigators announced that a Wisconsin man had been arrested for allegedly setting fire to a government building in Wisconsin, his pro-abortion group. Because of thoughts.

According to the FBI, on Mother’s Day 2022, Harindu Shankar Roy Chowdhury attacked the building with a mason jar, lighter and liquid accelerant, starting a fire.

“If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you,” graffiti outside the building reportedly read.

This month, according to the Justice Department, the defendant purchased a one-way ticket from Boston, Massachusetts to Guatemala, but was arrested at the airport before his scheduled departure.

Raychoudhary remains in custody and will be flown from Boston to Wisconsin to face the charges.