NEW YORK – A New York man — dubbed the Frappucino firebomber — was on Monday indicted for firebombing a Hindu temple and a Muslim mosque in January. Ray Lazier Lengend, who is also called Sooraj Poonai, faces at least 20 years if he is found guilty.
According to an indictment unsealed in Brooklyn federal court, Lengend has been accused of firebombing four places — all in Queens and just hours apart — on January 1, 2012.
Lengend’s firebombing spree began on the evening of January 1 when he threw a lit bottle of gasoline — Molotov Cocktail — at a local convenience store. The bomb exploded, but the resultant fire was quickly put out. A store employee extinguished the flames and no one was hurt in the incident.
He then went to a private residence and threw another gasoline firebomb. The house caught fire and was substantially damaged. His next target was the Imam Al-Khoei Foundation mosque, which he firebombed, with the intention of “harming Muslims and Arabs”, US attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta Lynch said in a statement.
Lengend’s last target was the Hindu temple, inside the residence of the temple’s priest. No one was injured in any of these incidents. Lengend is charged with hate crimes and explosives offenses. The police managed to arrest Lengend within two days of the attacks.
