Monday, October 22, 2018

Molotov cocktails thrown at Filipino American church

INSTAGRAM
Police tape cordon off the front of the Seattle church last week.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now assisting Seattle Police after a church was hit by multiple Molotov cocktails Thursday. The FBI is examining video footage and talking to witnesses to determine if it was a hate crime.

Several witnesses called in a fire outside Iglesia ni Cristo Locale of Seattle, shortly after 8 p.m. The church is located at 7100 42nd Ave. S.

Authorities say someone threw multiple flaming bottles of liquid at the church building. The church originated in the Philippines that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. Nearly all of its followers are of Filipino descent.

About 50 people were inside at the time of the apparent attack, but no one was hurt. The fire was extinguished before it cold cause major damage.

Members and leaders at the church declined to discuss the incident.

Camera footage provided by a nearby businesses captured the explosions.

The videos show several fiery explosions in front of the church. It’s difficult to pick out who is throwing the bottles on the low-resolution footage.

“Oh, I’m so glad they have an exit out of that building,” Bon Santo Domingo said as he watched the footage. Santo Domingo is president of the church's board of directors.

As of Friday, Seattle police said they were still working with witnesses on a suspect description. No arrests have been made.

“Could have been worse,” said Santo Domingo. “Could have been tragic really.”
______________________________________________________________________________

No comments:

Post a Comment