Authorities say Zayn Edward Arcand, 19, was arrested after allegedly planning to throw Molotov cocktails at the Dickinson County Republican Committee headquarters in Iron Mountain on Saturday, July 13. I covered [1] this incident yesterday, July 14.
The suspect was quickly taken into custody, and – thankfully – no serious damage was reported. The building houses multiple businesses, not just the GOP office, and was unoccupied at the time of the attack.
Arcand was arraigned via Zoom on Monday and is currently being held on a $15,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is reportedly set for August 6.
According to police, Arcand expressed “displeasure” with President Trump as a motive for the firebombing attempt.
Ray Broullire, the building’s owner, told WLUC-TV6 [2], “We were very concerned. Not to mention there’s people in this building. It was a Saturday, thank goodness. You know, that was a big plus. But yeah, when something like that happens, you just kind of expect the worst. We’re glad it worked out the way it did.”
His wife Barb added, “My whole thought is accountability. I want something done because there was a reason he picked this building at this office. I mean, why?”
Republican Committee Chair Angela Hall isn’t backing down, saying that the group will continue to use the office in the building. “I think the point was to intimidate us into acting a certain way, which is a very serious thing. I think we will just keep doing what we do. We are not violent people; we don’t condone any violence.”