Madison Reporter

Madison police now suspect the blaze at the office of an anti-abortion group was a targeted attack.

Joined by Madison Fire Dept. Asst. Chief Che Stedman as well as agents from the FBI and ATF, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes revealed that information during a recent news conference in which he added no arrests have been made in the early-morning incident at the Wisconsin Family Action facility. Barnes said authorities were made aware of the blaze by a passerby headed to the Dane County Airport at approximately 6 a.m. on May 8.

“I want to start off by saying there is no room for hate or violence in Madison, in fact there’s no room for hate or violence anywhere in our country,” the police chief said in a news conference this week, quoted by WMTV. “Hate or violence do not advance any cause and unfortunately we’re investigating the fruits of hate and violence in the form of an arson where a specific nonprofit group was targeted for their beliefs regarding the issue of abortion.”

After arriving at the location to find a ground-level window had been broken, first responders later discovered two Molotov cocktails at the scene, Barnes said. Investigators are now studying the devices in hopes of ascertaining what type of liquid was used in them. He stressed that the incident is not being investigated as a terroristic threat, and at this time it does not appear to be an inside job.

Police reports also highlighted that one of the Molotov cocktails had been thrown into the building but did not ignite, the WMTV report said. That device was found by authorities, but a second fire appeared to have been started after the initial firebombing was unsuccessful. 

While noting that the probe is ongoing, Milwaukee FBI agent Robert Payne added that his agency is in contact with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin about potential charges. 

Graffiti was also found in the 2800 block of International Lane which included an anarchy logo, the numbers “1312” (substitutes for the letters ACAB; i.e., “All Cops Are Bad”), and the words “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either.”

Several other pieces of evidence from the crime scene were found and turned over to federal investigators, Barnes said. Law enforcement is also crisscrossing the area near the scene for any digital evidence.

“The message to Madison residents it that there is no place in Madison for any type of hate speech, for any type of violence, or any type of property destruction, to advance any cause,” Barnes said. “If you’re thinking about doing something like that, I would recommend that you not. It doesn’t look good for your cause, it doesn’t look good for our community and that’s not what we expect.”

Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call the Madison Area Crimestoppers at 608-266-6014.