By Erika Hernández | La Opinión
Above: The front entrance to the Community Church of Chesterland. (Image via Facebook)
An Ohio man and member of the white supremacist group White Lives Matter attacked a local church with Molotov cocktails on March 25 in an attempt to stop a drag performance there, according to a press release by the Department of Justice.
The subject has been identified as 20-year-old Aimenn Penny of Alliance, a city about 60 miles southeast of Cleveland. Penny was arrested last week and charged with malicious use of explosives and possession of a destructive device.
The Community Church of Chesterland informed authorities on March 25 that the church had been damaged the previous night by what appeared to be Molotov cocktails, an attack church members believe was in relation to two drag performances scheduled for April 1.
Damages included burns to the front entrance of the church as well as on its exterior walls and a broken sign, according to the police report. The FBI’s Cleveland office received information that Penny was responsible for the attack and that the 20-year-old is a member of the Ohio branch of White Lives Matter.
The group had appeared at an earlier drag event in the city of Wadsworth on March 11 carrying flags emblazoned with swastikas and yelling racist and homophobic slurs while chanting “Heil Hitler.”
Penny had been at the Wadsworth show handing out White Lives Matter flyers while dressed in camouflage pants and wearing a tactical vest, according to the complaint filed by the church.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Penny’s home on Friday. He later admitted to the FBI that he had used Molotov cocktails against the church. GPS on his phone also confirmed that he was at the site.
“Penny declared that he was trying to protect children and to stop the drag show. He described the use of bottles in his room and detailed the ingredients and steps he took to construct and use the bombs. Penny said he became increasingly angry that night after watching internet videos of news and drag shows in France and decided to attack the church,” the complaint says.
If convicted, Penny faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison on the malicious use of explosive materials charge and up to 10 years in prison on the possession of a destructive device charge.
Prosecuting the case are Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Deckert for the Northern District of Ohio and Trial Attorneys Jacob Warren and Justin Sher of the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division.
This story was originally published in Spanish at La Opinión.
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