周日，一名35岁的男子遭到联邦指控，据称他放火警察和检察官说，当时工作人员正在佛蒙特州伯灵顿市参议员伯尼·桑德斯的办公室门口工作。
美国检察官尼古拉·p·克雷斯特在一份声明中说，前加州北岭市人尚特·索戈马尼安周日被捕，此前调查人员审查了监控录像，录像显示他涉嫌在伯灵顿市中心桑德斯办公室的外门上喷洒液体。
克里斯特说，火灾于周五上午10点45分左右在桑德斯位于三楼的教堂街办公室外发生，该办公室位于一栋建筑内，该建筑也用于州际商业。
当局说，火灾发生时桑德斯不在办公室。
根据伯灵顿警察局的一份声明，“一场大火吞噬了门和部分门厅，阻碍了在办公室工作的工作人员的外出并危及他们的生命。”
官员们说，伯灵顿消防局消防人员迅速对火灾做出反应并扑灭了火焰。
“除了桑德斯参议员的门和前庭遭到火灾破坏外，自动喷水灭火系统的水还对该空间和大楼的其他区域造成了重大损害，”警方说。
据警方称，监控录像显示嫌疑人进入大楼并前往三楼。
“Soghomonian被一个安全视频记录在办公室外门附近喷洒液体，然后用手持打火机点燃该区域。当Soghomonian通过楼梯离开时，大火很快就开始了。
据警方称，Soghomonian又名Michael Soghomonian，在警方公布嫌疑人的监控照片并请求公众帮助确认他的身份后被捕。
据警方称，这起事件的动机仍在调查中。
根据一份联邦诉状，嫌疑人被控用火损坏一栋用于州际商业的建筑，并作为影响州际商业的活动场所。
根据Kerest的说法，如果指控罪名成立，Soghomonian可能被判处5至20年的联邦监禁，并面临最高25万美元的罚款。
周日尚不清楚Soghomonian是否聘请了律师。官员们说，嫌疑人正在等待在美国地方法官凯文·j·道尔面前首次出庭。
桑德斯在一份声明中说:“我对当地、州和联邦执法部门为应对周五我在佛蒙特州办公室发生的火灾而做出的迅速、专业、协调的努力深表感谢。“我还感到欣慰的是，火灾发生时在办公楼里的许多人都没有受伤。我感谢大家对我和我的员工的支持和祝福。我们很自豪能够在这个充满挑战的时期继续为佛蒙特州人服务。”
Suspect in fire at Sen. Bernie Sander's Vermont office hit with federal charges
Federal charges were filed Sunday against a 35-year-old man who allegedlyset fireto the door of Sen. Bernie Sanders' office in Burlington, Vermont, while staff was working inside, police and prosecutors said.
Shant Soghomonian, formerly of Northridge, California, was arrested on Sunday after investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage that captured him allegedly spraying a liquid on the outer door of Sanders' office in downtown Burlington, U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest said in a statement.
The fire unfolded around 10:45 a.m. Friday outside Sanders' third-floor Church Street office, which is in a building that is also used in interstate commerce, Kerest said.
Sanders was not at the office at the time of the blaze, authorities said.
"A significant fire engulfed the door and part of the vestibule, impeding the egress of staff members who were working in the office and endangering their lives," according to a statement from the Burlington Police Department.
The Burlington Fire Department fire crews quickly responded to the fire and extinguished the flames, officials said.
"Along with fire damage to Senator Sanders's door and vestibule, water from the sprinkler systems caused significant damage to that space and other areas of the building," police said.
Surveillance video, according to police, showed the suspect entering the building and proceeding to the third floor.
"Soghomonian was recorded on a security video spraying a liquid near the outer door of the office and then lighting the area with a handheld lighter. A blaze quickly began while Soghomonian departed via a staircase," Kerest said.
Soghomonian, who also goes by the name Michael Soghomonian, was arrested after police released surveillance photos of the suspect and asked for the public's help in identifying him, according to police.
A motive for the incident remains under investigation, according to police.
The suspect was charged with using fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce and as a place of activity affecting interstate commerce, according to a federal complaint.
If convicted of the charges, Soghomonian could be sentenced to 5 to 20 years in federal prison and face a fine of up to $250,000, according to Kerest.
It was unclear Sunday whether Soghomonian has hired an attorney. The suspect is awaiting his first court appearance in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, officials said.
"I am deeply grateful to the swift, professional, coordinated efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement in response to the fire at my Vermont office on Friday," Sanders said in a statement. "I am also thankful that none of the many people who were in the office building at the time of the fire were injured. I appreciate the outpouring of support and well-wishes for me and my staff. We are proud to be able to continue to serve Vermonters during these challenging times."
