On Wednesday, the Chinese consulate in San Francisco was slightly burned in what seems to be an intentional but non-terrorist act of property destruction. After the New Year’s Day festivities, San Francisco was woken up with a call for tightened security.
Associated Press reports that this burning was not an act of terrorism. There were no deaths or injuries, and only the lobby, front entrance and parts of the roof were charred. The suspect was spotted carrying two containers of gasoline and pouring the liquid along the front of the building. Firefighters detected the fire around 9:30 p.m. PST and doused the flames at 9:45 p.m.
The consulate has made representations with the U.S. for better security. “We strongly condemn this despicable act,” said Wang Chuan, the consulate’s spokesman, according to the Chinese Consulate of San Francisco. “And we hope that the U.S. takes all necessary measures to provide adequate protection to the consular personnel and properties.”
State Department Deputy Marie Harf assured that the FBI and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security are working together to apprehend the suspect. So far, the neither has found a cause for the burning, and the suspect remains uncaught.