A man has been arrested for attempted arson after reportedly trying to burn down the Satanic Temple in Salem.
The incident took place last Friday on June 10, and was captured in a now viral TikTok.
In the clip, a man wearing a T-shirt featuring the word ‘God’, can be seen pouring what appears to be fire accelerant on the porch of the temple, and setting it alight.
Before the fire could take hold however, police caught the man and put a stop to the attempted crime, by tackling him on the spot.
According to the Boston Globe, the man has been identified as Daniel Lucey and is currently facing charges of arson, vandalism to a place of worship and interfering with civil rights.
Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, wrote on Twitter: “This holy crusader in a ‘GOD’ [T-shirt] just dumped an accelerant on The Satanic Temple headquarters and lit it on fire.
“The fire did not breach into the house” he added in another tweet. ” It remains to be determined how much of the area around the front of the house, and how much of the front porch will need to be replaced due to damage. The outpouring of support has been truly moving. Thank you, everybody.”
Speaking of the incident, Greaves noted that there was not “an insignificant amount of damage”, adding “It went up fast. I think he used gasoline.”
He also shared a photo of the fire taken by a neighbour, which you can view below.
This holy crusader in a “GOD” tshirt just dumped an accelerant on The Satanic Temple headquarters and lit it on fire. If you have any information, immediately contact @SalemMAPolice 978-744-1212 pic.twitter.com/PgoULGiKuNJune 11, 2022
The fire did not breach into the house. It remains to be determined how much of the area around the front of the house, and how much of the front porch will need to be replaced due to damage. The outpouring of support has been truly moving. Thank you, everybodyJune 11, 2022
A picture that somebody else in the neighborhood took… pic.twitter.com/zPXib34v34June 11, 2022
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