By Jeff Arnold, Patch Staff
Dec 18, 2020 1:23 pm PT
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Four months after an arsonist set fire to an Armenian church in San Francisco, the city's FBI bureau is offering a $50,000 reward leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of anyone involved in setting the fire, officials announced this week.
The fire, which was set shortly after 4 a.m. on Sept. 17 at the administration building of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church, caused significant fire, smoke and water damage to the building, FBI officials said. The administration building, which is located at 51 Commonwealth Ave. in the Laurel Heights neighborhood, housed church offices, a library and a Sunday school before the fire was set.
The fire followed incidents earlier in the year in which hateful graffiti was left at San Francisco's KZV Armenian School in July before shots were fired at the school in September. At this time, FBI officials do not know if the incidents are related to the arson at St. Gregory, officials said.
"This act of violence was not just an attack on a building, but on a congregation. This was an attack on a community," FBI Special Agent Craig Fair said in a news release announcing the reward for the church arson. "We are counting on assistance from members of the community to keep our city safe. Every lead will be thoroughly investigated.
"Regardless of how insignificant you think your information might be, we strongly encourage you to come forward and we welcome your information and assistance."
The FBI said it takes all acts or threats of violence seriously and is committed to investigating crimes that are potentially hate-motivated. The FBI has jurisdiction to investigate fires set at houses of worship under the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996.
If anyone has information about the arson at the church, they are asked to contact the FBI San Francisco Division at (415) 553-7400 or tips.fbi.gov. Tips can remain anonymous. Informants may also contact the San Francisco Police Department's Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444, or may text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD, which guarantees the callers' anonymity.