Man who firebombed Arizona Dem Party HQ confessed on social media
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Screenshot via YouTube/Phoenix Police DepartmentSecurity cameras caught a man setting fire to the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters on July 24, 2020. Phoenix police say the man was Matthew Egler, 29; he was arrested July 29, 2020.
The man who Phoenix Police believe firebombed the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters in downtown Phoenix confessed to the crime multiple times on social media.
Matthew Egler, 29, was arrested Wednesday morning for the July 24 fire due in part to his confessions on social media, according to the Phoenix Police Department. The county party shares office space with the Arizona Democratic Party, which owns the building. The fire only damaged the county party's portion of the office.
"Unfortunately it isn't very sad that that building was bombed," Egler said in one video posted to a Twitter account he frequently used, making fantastical claims that he secretly married and impregnated Ivanka Trump and alleging wild conspiracies about Arizona Democratic officials.
According to screenshots of text messages that Egler posted, his father was trying to get him mental health care. In one video, Egler said his father was trying to have him committed.
The vehicle police linked to Egler was owned by a family member and found abandoned in Chandler. Investigators later learned of his social media postings.
"I BOMBED THIS BUILDING LISTEN TO WHAT IM SAYING," Egler said in a tweet posted Tuesday evening.
In other tweets Tuesday night, Egler again claimed to have bombed the building and accused unknown people of "sedition and terrorism and treason."
Egler had been a volunteer at the office but was recently banned, according to the Phoenix Police Department. It is unknown why he was banned, and spokespeople for the police and the Arizona Democratic Party did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a joint statement, Arizona Democrat Party Chair Felicia Rotellini and Maricopa County Democratic Party Chair Steven Slugocki thanked Phoenix police for apprehending Egler.
"We are deeply saddened and shocked by today's news, but appreciate the swift action by law enforcement to ensure that the suspect is in custody," they said.
The fire did not destroy the building but caused substantial damage to the party's headquarters and the Phoenix police, Phoenix Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms created a task force to investigate the blaze.
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atf, confession, democratic party, felicia rotellini, firebombing, mental health, pheonix, ppd, steven slugocki, terrorism, twitterMore by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy
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