Michigan man charged after allegedly setting fire to Planned Parenthood clinic
Authorities identified the Planned Parenthood arson suspect on surveillance gootage
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Michigan man was charged Wednesday with setting fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Kalamazoo late last month, authorities said.
Joshua Brereton, 25, of Paw Paw was charged in federal court with committing arson at an organization that receives government money.
Surveillance footage of Joshua Brereton. (ATF)
Kalamazoo fire officials received a report of a fire in progress at a Planned Parenthood on July 31. Damage was mostly limited to the exterior of the building.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Investigators reviewed video surveillance from the fire scene which revealed that man – later identified as Brereton – breached the fence surrounding the building, used a combustible fuel to ignite the exterior bushes of the building, lit a fireplace starter log, and then threw the burning log into the roof of the building before fleeing the scene.
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Agents also looked at videos Brereton posted online, including one in which he said, "we have a genocide happening, genocide of babies."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Read a science book. It's not a religious debate. It's not a political debate," he said.
Brereton was in custody awaiting a court hearing Friday. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had retained an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.