Court documents filed this week indicate that the man accused of setting fire to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office in Burlington last Friday is believed to have been hanging around the premises the day prior. Investigators suggested that the man’s behavior might indicate “a potential planned act as opposed to a spontaneous incident.” The suspect, Shant Michael Soghomonian, had been a “long-term guest at the Inn at Burlington” in South Burlington, a manager at the inn told police on Saturday. Police later located the suspect at the Quality Inn in...

Michael Soghomonian, 35, previously of Northridge, California was arrested on April 7, 2024, pursuant to a federal criminal complaint charging him with using fire to damage the building at One Church Street in Burlington, Vermont – a building used in interstate commerce and as a place of activity affecting interstate commerce. According to court records, Soghomonian entered the building at One Church Street in Burlington on the morning of April 5, 2024, and proceeded to the third floor where the Vermont office of Senator Sanders is located. Soghomonian was recorded...

BURLINGTON, Vt. — A man was charged Sunday with setting a fire outside the Vermont office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, federal prosecutors said. Shant Soghomonian, 35, who was previously of Northridge, California, entered the building on Friday and went to Sanders’ third-floor office where security video showed him spraying a liquid on the door and setting it afire, officials said. The building’s interior suffered some damage from the fire and sprinklers that doused the area with water, but no one was hurt. Sanders, an independent, was not in the...

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) talks to the media at the U.S. Capitol on March 7 in Washington. A man was charged Sunday with setting a fire outside the Vermont office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, federal prosecutors said. Shant Soghomonian, 35, who was previously of Northridge, entered the building Friday and went to Sanders’ third-floor office, where security video showed him spraying a liquid on the door and setting it afire, officials said. The building’s interior suffered some damage from the fire and sprinklers that doused the area with water,...

A man was arrested Sunday for allegedly setting a fire outside the office of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) in Burlington, Vermont, according to federal officials. Shant Soghomonian, 35, formerly of Northridge, California, was charged with using fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce and as a place of activity affecting interstate commerce, after he was allegedly caught on a security camera “spraying a liquid near the outer door of the office and then lighting the area with a handheld lighter” on Friday, according to a press release from...

FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., talks to the media as he walks to the House chamber before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Washington. Police in Vermont are seeking a suspect who allegedly started a fire Friday, April 5, 2024, outside the office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. The small blaze caused minor damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) A man was charged Sunday with setting a fire outside the Vermont office of U.S. Sen....

A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection to the arson attack on Friday that damaged an office in Burlington, Vermont, belonging to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), according to authorities. Shant Soghomonian, who is also known as Michael Soghomonian and is previously of Northridge, California, was arrested on Sunday pursuant to a federal criminal complaint, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont said in a press release. The complaint charged Soghomonian with using fire to damage the building at One Church Street in Burlington – a building used...

A California man who allegedly set fire to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Vermont office was arrested on Sunday, the Department of Justice said in a release. Shant Soghomonian, 35, is charged with “using fire to damage the building” at One Church Street in Burlington, Vermont. He could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 as a maximum penalty. According to the release, Soghomanian was caught on a security camera spraying the door of Sanders’ office with an unidentified liquid and then using a handheld lighter to...

Police are investigating a suspected arson at the Burlington, Vt., offices of Sen. Bernie Sanders and searching for an unidentified man who started the blaze. The suspect lit the fire in a vestibule after spraying an “apparent accelerant” on the office door, and the fire prevented workers from exiting the office, which was on the third floor. The building’s sprinkler system activated and extinguished most of the flames. The Burlington Fire Department arrived around 10:45 a.m., according to the Burlington Police. The fire department said the fire occurred “in the...