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Dushko Valchev STAFF: Twitter
A Bulgarian man suspected of burning a church has been arrested in the US state of Maine, reports the Boston Globe.
Hulton’s Dushko Valchev was arrested Friday night and charged with causing damage to the Martin Luther King Jr. Presbyterian Church in the city, as well as attempting to set it on fire.
The first attempt to set the church on fire was on December 13, with two more following two days later. The latest case is from Dec. 28, the fire department said, and then a lot of damage was done to the church.
Valchev was arrested in Pittsfield and sent into custody.
He had previously held federal charges outside of Maine. According to Federal Court documents, in 2015 he was accused of threatening a foreign employee and threatening foreign trade.
“This is a church that burns at night, which is a possible hate crime,” the Springfield Fire Department said in a briefing.
Translation and editing: Vincent Tanowski
Dushko Vulchev of Maine was charged with malicious damage and attempted arson for attempting to set fire to a black church in Springfield, Massachusetts, last week. https://t.co/hu2wt23x6t pic.twitter.com/OCgQkygPcY
– Renee Graham ???? (@reneeygraham) January 2, 2021
Dushko Vulchev of Maine Arrested, Charged with Attempted Arson of Martin Luther King Presbyterian Church in Springfield https://t.co/rCuokkg3ej
– masslivenews (@masslivenews) January 2, 2021
Dushko Vulchev, from Houlton, Maine, was arrested Friday for allegedly setting three fires at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church, a predominantly black church in Springfield https://t.co/vzUn2Ugtwq via @BostonGlobe
– Stefania Lugli (@steflugli) January 3, 2021
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