Indian pleads guilty to firebombing US building

Hirdindu Sankar Roychowdhury is due for a sentencing hearing on February 14. Fces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years.

An Indian-origin man in Wisconsin pleaded guilty in court to attempted arson, connected to firebombing of a prominent office building in the state in May 2022.

On December 1, Hirdindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause damage using fire or an explosive to a prominent anti-abortion group’s office in Wisconsin.

Roychowdhury was identified as a suspect in this incident from the DNA collected by law enforcement from the scene. As per the complaint, law enforcement responded to an active fire at the office building in Madison on May 8, 2022.

Once inside the building, police saw a liquid that smelled like an accelerant in two different mason jars along with a lighter. Outside the building, police found the words “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either,” spray-painted on a wall. On the other wall, police say a large “A” with a circle around it and the number “1312” spray-painted.

The DNA from the scene was matched and reconfirmed by forensic biologists, leading to Roychowdhury’s arrest on March 28, 2023, at Boston Logan International Airport. During his recent court appearance, he admitted to traveling to what was referred to as “Organization A” where he broke a window, vandalized the wall with graffiti, and tried to start a fire.

Roychowdhury admitted he threw a cocktail into the office and poured the contents of another drink into the office, in an attempt to start the fire, as per a media report.

He is due in court again on February 14, 2024, for a sentencing hearing. If convicted, Roychowdhury faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

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