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DNA on Burrito Leads to Suspect's Arrest in Molotov Cocktail Attack of Wisconsin Pro-Life Site

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A Madison, Wisconsin man was arrested in Boston Tuesday for charges connected to the firebombing of a pro-life group's office building last May. 

The U.S. attorney's office in Madison announced police arrested 29-year-old Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury at Boston's Logan International Airport Tuesday. He was charged via the complaint with one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive.

As CBN News has reported, the Wisconsin Family Action (WFA) office was attacked by pro-abortion vandals on May 8, 2022. Two Molotov cocktails were thrown into the WFA building. One of the firebombs failed to ignite; the other set a bookcase on fire. 

Photos taken at the time showed shattered windows, a charred part of one wall with burned books, and other items strewn on the floor. The message "If abortions aren't safe then you aren't either" was spray-painted on the building's exterior. No one was in the office at the time.

The suspected arson against the pro-life office came just one day after rallies took place in Madison and Milwaukee protesting the leak of the Supreme Court's draft opinion, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. The document signaled that five conservative justices were leaning toward overturning Roe v. Wade, sending the decision about abortion laws back to state legislatures, instead of being enshrined in federal court decisions. 

Anarchy 1312 took responsibility for the attack, also leaving its logo in black paint on an outside wall.

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Law enforcement officials said DNA evidence helped confirm Roychowdhury was connected to the attack, after he was identified as the suspect in March, according to WMTV. Local police officers saw the suspect dispose of a half-eaten burrito into a public trash can and later collected DNA from the food and other items, according to the criminal complaint. 

A forensic biologist then matched DNA from the food with DNA evidence from the WFA office. 

The U.S. attorney's office said in a statement that Roychowdhury traveled from Madison this month to Portland, Maine. He then had a one-way ticket for a flight from Boston to Guatemala City, Guatemala, that was scheduled to depart Tuesday morning when he was arrested, the office said. 

Roychowdhury is scheduled to appear in federal court on Tuesday. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. 

Investigators have been unable to match the other two DNA profiles from the scene to anyone, the complaint said.

Wisconsin Family Action President Julaine Appling said the organization had, "No comment at this time."

Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes told WMTV that his detectives never gave up on the case. 

"For months, our detectives remained committed to finding those responsible for this arson," Barnes said. "When tips and leads were limited, they never gave up. Their persistence is proof that hateful acts do not have a place in Madison. I applaud their work and want to thank our federal partners for all of their help leading up to this arrest."

Buffalo, NY Pregnancy Center CEO Alleges 'Double Standard' by Justice Department 

CompassCare CEO, Rev. Jim Harden, whose own pregnancy center in Buffalo, NY has been attacked twice by pro-abortion vandals, did offer comments on Roychowdhury's arrest. 

"The arrest came on day 324. Compare that to the virtually immediate arrests of sporadic and unconnected crimes against abortion clinics," Harden said in a press release. "The double standard at play here is simple. If you're pro-life, you will receive no protection and can only hope to receive insufficient and politically convenient justice. If you are pro-abortion, the entire DOJ investigative apparatus is at your immediate disposal to your political benefit."

Actress Jokes About 'Murder' to Protect So-Called Abortion Rights

Meanwhile, violence against pro-lifers is still being talked about by some on the pro-choice side. It comes even after a man was arrested near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house with the intent to kill him.

Earlier this month, two-time Academy Award-winning actress Jane Fonda appeared on ABC's The View and during the ongoing discussion expressed her opinion about what should be done to those who oppose abortions. 

"We have experienced many decades now of having agency over our body, of being able to determine when and how many children to have. We know what that feels like, we know what that's done for our lives," Fonda said. "We're not going back, I don't care what the laws are. We're not going back." 

When asked by co-host Joy Behar what can be done "besides marching and protesting," Fonda, 85, replied, "Well, I've thought of murder." Sparking laughter at the table, Behar insisted to viewers Fonda was "just kidding," which prompted a long glare from the Hollywood icon, according to Fox News

Fonda later told Fox her comments were "obviously" made in jest. 

However, pro-life advocates didn't think the actress's comments were meant to be comical. Pro-abortion groups offered no condemnation of the murder joke. 

Live Action founder Lila Rose called out Fonda on social media, saying she was advocating for "murder to protect the murder of children." 

"Pray & work passionately against this darkness," Rose wrote. 

"It's unfortunate that for pro-abortion people like Jane Fonda, murder is the comfortable solution to unplanned pregnancies. Whether inside the womb or outside the womb, the taking of innocent life is never an acceptable solution," Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family told Fox News

Republican lawmakers also spoke out against Fonda's comments. 

U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) tweeted, "Calling for the murder of pro-life politicians is not only dangerous but it's incredibly sick. This leads to targeting and can result in someone being seriously hurt."

"Today on The View, Jane Fonda called for the murder of pro-life Americans. The hosts claimed Fonda deserves a Nobel Prize & laughed-off her heinous remarks. To the pro-life Americans all across our great country, stay strong & know I will always have your back on Capitol Hill," Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) tweeted. 

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of