Ohio man admitted he tried to firebomb church to stop drag show: cops

An Ohio man admitted to federal authorities he wished to burn down a church with Molotov cocktails to forestall a drag present from going down there, cops stated.

Aimenn Penny, 20, allegedly tossed the crudely made explosives on the Group Church of Chesterland in a failed try and set the constructing aflame on March 25, simply days earlier than two scheduled drag present occasions.

The home made bombs additionally brought about minimal injury with some scorch marks on the entrance door. The church was empty on the time.

Penny, a part of a “White Lives Matter” group, stated he wished to burn down the church as a result of he wished to “shield kids and cease the drag present occasion.”

He even admitted that he regretted that it didn’t work.

“Penny acknowledged that he would have felt higher if the Molotov cocktails had been more practical and burned the complete church to the bottom,” an agent with the FBI wrote within the affidavit.

Earlier than he determined to assault the church, he allegedly informed the FBI he “grew to become an increasing number of indignant” after watching movies on-line of drag exhibits in France.

Penny was arrested March 31.

He was charged with one depend of utilizing fireplace to commit a federal felony, one depend of malicious use of explosive supplies and one depend of possessing a damaging system, the US Lawyer’s Workplace stated.

The feds stated he violated the Church Arson Prevention Act.

He might resist 50 years in jail if discovered responsible of all prices.

Authorities stated Penny is a member of “White Lives Matter” which espouses racist, pro-Nazi and homophobic views.

Penny confirmed up in Wadsworth, Ohio to protest one other drag queen occasion two weeks earlier than his alleged assault on the Chesterland church, the FBI stated.

The pastor of the Group Church of Chesterland didn’t instantly return a name looking for remark from The Submit.

Representatives of the church informed the FBI they acquired hate mail and messages that contained non-specific threats of protest and violence towards the drag exhibits, in line with the criticism.

The church confirmed on Fb that its drag story hour went on as deliberate on April 1, with the church thanking legislation enforcement companies for his or her presence exterior the church.

The church known as the day “a convincing success.”

When the unique assertion from the Division of Justice went out on March 31 about Penny’s arrest, the Group Church of Chesterfield stated it wished the person prosecuted to the “fullest extent of the legislation.”

“Thanks to the investigative our bodies chargeable for transferring so shortly to make this arrest,” the church stated in a Fb put up.

“Whereas we’re sorry this occurred and forgive the person in query, we want to see him prosecuted to the fullest extent of the legislation as a method to ship a message to different like minded folks and teams that violence as a type of coercion to advance any sort of agenda is unacceptable in 2023.”