An Ohio man who is a member of a White Lives Matter group told the FBI during an interview Friday he used Molotov cocktails on a church in hopes to burn it down and stop a drag show, federal authorities allege.
Aimenn Penny, 20, of Alliance, was arrested last week and charged with one count of malicious use of explosive materials and one count of possessing a destructive device, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
A criminal complaint and affidavit said personnel with the Community Church of Chesterland reported March 25 that the church had been damaged during the night by what appeared to be Molotov cocktails. Personnel with the church believed the attack was connected to the “church’s planned hosting of two drag show events on April 1, 2023,” the complaint said.
Damage to the church included scorch marks on the front door, scorch marks on the exterior of the building, and a broken sign on the southeast corner of the property, the complaint said.
On its website, the house of worship said it is “a church of extravagant welcome, inclusion, and justice.”
Chester Township Police recovered broken pieces of a Denaka vodka bottle and broken pieces of a Corona beer bottle. The bottles contained a cloth type material that appeared to be pink or purple. A burnt matchstick and a blue plastic spray bottle filled with gasoline were found near the damaged door, the complaint said.
The Cleveland Field Office of the FBI received information Penny was responsible for the attack, the complaint said, and he was a member of the White Lives Matter Ohio branch.
Penny’s attorney John Greven declined comment Monday.
“White Lives Matter is a group with racist, pro-Nazi, and homophobic views,” the complaint said. “At a March 11, 2023, drag queen event in Wadsworth, Ohio, members of White Lives Matter “showed up at the event carrying swastika flags and shouting racial and homophobic slurs and ‘Heil Hitler.’”
Penny went to Wadsworth before the March 11…
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