A 36-year-old individual has been arrested after allegedly throwing improvised explosives at two churches in Queens, New York, on Wednesday night.
The suspect, identified as Yogesh Sayrange, is a Guyanese citizen who is considered "unauthorized" in the US because his childhood arrival protection expired.
Surveillance footage from one of the churches shows three individuals outside the Iglesia Bautista El Mesias church when the man, dressed in a dark hoodie and pants, appears to throw a Molotov cocktail at the building.
The three bystanders got back into their car and left the scene as the man walked off in another direction, while a fourth bystander is seen throwing his arms up as he walks by.
Another firebombing occurred at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, and authorities believe the suspect may also be involved in a third incident at a different location.
Police say the suspect threw an incendiary device at the front door of the Iglesia Bautista El Mesias church on 75th Street in Ozone Park just after 11:35 p.m. on Wednesday, but the device bounced off the door and exploded on the ground without causing any damage.
The suspect then allegedly threw a second Molotov cocktail at a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on 78th Street in Woodhaven, which also bounced off the door and exploded on the ground without causing any damage.
A third incident was discovered at 76-9 Rockaway Boulevard in Cypress Hills, but no damage was reported at that location.
Authorities later located and arrested the 36-year-old suspect, recovering two additional Molotov cocktails from his bag at the time of his arrest.
