Group’s Office Is Firebombed in Hate Attack
The office of a Japanese-American group was firebombed during the weekend, an act police said Sunday that they believe is related to recent attacks that targeted blacks and Jews.
Authorities are treating the attack on the Japanese American Citizens League as a hate crime, said Police Chief Arturo Venegas.
A fire gutted the office after someone threw a Molotov cocktail through the front door early Saturday, police said. No one was injured and police had made no arrests by late Sunday.
They are assuming it was connected to several recent cases, including attacks on the Sacramento office of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People and a synagogue, Venegas said.
The FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were helping with the investigation. The Secret Service also was notified because of President Clinton’s visit to Sacramento on Sunday.
The Japanese American Citizens League is a volunteer organization that promotes civil rights.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
