Overview
- Surveillance and witness accounts show a man lit and threw Molotov cocktails at Iglesia Bautista El Mesías in Ozone Park and then at a Kingdom Hall in Woodhaven late Wednesday night, with a third device thrown at a nearby Access-A-Ride/ambulette building.
- The bottles caused small fires that the FDNY quickly extinguished; police say there were no injuries and no significant structural damage at any site.
- Officers arrested a 36-year-old about 12:10 a.m. and recovered two more Molotov cocktails from his bag, with charges from the Queens incidents still pending.
- Investigators are examining motive and reported links to similar incidents, including a June 25 Brooklyn incendiary complaint, and federal prosecutors have been reported to be involved in the probe.
- Local religious leaders and civic groups condemned the attacks and said the incidents have heightened fear and calls for increased protection at houses of worship as police continue an active investigation.