FBI offering $50,000 reward in Armenian church arson

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the arson at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church in San Fransisco, the FBI announced on Twitter.

The FBI’s San Francisco Field Office, in conjunction with the San Francisco Police Department, is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the person(s) responsible for the September 17 arson at the church.

The unknown perpetrator(s) set fire to the church’s administration building, which housed offices, a library, and a Sunday school. The building sustained significant fire, smoke, and water damage. No one was injured.

While announcing the reward in a video recorded in front of the church, FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Craig Fair said that the investigation was about protecting the congregation’s first amendment rights, which protect the freedom of religion.

“This act of violence was not just an attack on a building, but on a congregation,” Fair said. “This was an attack on a community.”

Around the time of the fire, church leaders told asbarez.com that they suspected the fire was harassment. The incident followed an act of vandalism back in July when someone spray-painted the Krouzian-Zekarian Vasbouragan Armenian School and the adjacent community center with anti-Armenian, pro-Azerbaijani graffiti.

The FBI asked that anyone with information concerning the case contact the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office at (415) 553-7400, the San Francisco Police Department’s Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444, or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD, which guarantees the callers’ anonymity. You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online.