Overview
- Firomsa Ahmed Umar, 30, of Fridley, was charged with two counts of first-degree arson for attacks Sunday night and Monday midday on Fletcher’s Ice Cream & Cafe in northeast Minneapolis.
- Witnesses reported a Honda Odyssey and provided a license plate, and officers used surveillance footage to identify the suspect before stopping the vehicle near Ontario Street and University Avenue Southeast.
- Investigators recovered broken bottles consistent with Molotov cocktails and detected an accelerant at the scene, and officers found a red gasoline container in the suspect’s vehicle.
- The shop sustained broken windows and scorch damage, it was closed during both incidents, and no injuries were reported.
- Umar is held in Hennepin County Jail on $100,000 bail with a court appearance set for Thursday, the multiagency investigation continues, and neighbors plan a support rally Thursday evening.