Overview
- On Tuesday, June 2, Monterey County detectives arrested 36-year-old Fiona GuoGuo Lu of Mountain View on a Ramey warrant and booked her on arson, terrorizing by destructive device or arson, criminal threats and a felony hate crime.
- Lu is being held at the Napa County Jail on unrelated charges and is awaiting extradition to Monterey County for the Tassajara case.
- Investigators say they located public social media posts that tied the suspect to the March 27 fire and included threats of further violence against Buddhist temples in California.
- The March 27 blaze destroyed the meditation hall at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center and damaged part of its library, and staff plus fire crews were credited with preventing a larger fire in the remote area.
- Bail was set at $130,000, authorities say there is no current reason to believe she is an ongoing public threat, and anyone with information is asked to contact Deputies Aly Najem or Kyle Massa or submit an anonymous tip through the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office website.