Casey Robert Goonan admitted to setting multiple fires on the UC Berkeley campus and attempting to firebomb the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland, citing the war in Gaza and treatment of Palestinian protestors as motivations.
A 34-year-old Oakland resident, Casey Robert Goonan, has pleaded guilty to arson charges for attempting to firebomb a federal building in Oakland last year. Authorities say Goonan also admitted to setting several fires at the UC Berkeley campus during the same month.
Goonan's actions, motivated by a perceived retaliation against the federal government and UC administration over the war in Gaza, involved placing explosives and setting fires on both federal and university property on multiple occasions. On the early morning of June 11, Goonan brought three Molotov cocktails to the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland. They attempted to break a window by throwing rocks to gain access for the explosives. While unsuccessful in igniting the federal building, Goonan threw the lit explosives into a planter on the side of the building. In a separate incident on June 1, Goonan placed six Molotov cocktail explosives under the fuel tank of a UC Berkeley police car on campus, causing the vehicle to catch fire. Goonan also admitted to setting separate fires on the UC Berkeley campus on June 1, June 13, and June 16. Goonan's plea agreement states that these acts were motivated by the U.S. government's and UC Berkeley administration's treatment of Palestinian protestors and aimed to influence government policy regarding Israel and its ongoing war in Gaza. The plea agreement also acknowledges that Goonan's sentence could be determined using a terrorism enhancement. Goonan pleaded guilty to one count of maliciously damaging property used in or affecting interstate commerce with fire or explosive, carrying a potential sentence of between five and 20 years.
Arson Firebombing Federal Building UC Berkeley Gaza Conflict Political Protest Terrorism Enhancement
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