-Authorities Identify Persons of Interest
By Jerromie S. Walters & G. Bennie Bravo Johnson
Joint Security has confirmed that the fire incident at the Capitol Building was an act of arson. Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman announced that there is sufficient evidence to support this determination.
Arson refers to the act of deliberately setting fire to property, whether it be buildings, vehicles, or other structures, with the intent to cause damage or destruction. “We have identified people of interest and those people have been contacted and if they fail to come forward, we will have them arrested,” Coleman stated during a press conference on Wednesday.
Coleman and Farr detailed their findings
The Police Inspector General said that the smoke and color of the fire at the Liberian Legislature were caused by an explosive. He believes that a fire prompted by an electrical fault would have started in a particular setting. The Liberia National Police IG continued by revealing that there were containers of explosive substance found on the scene.
In furtherance, the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police added that the investigation is continuing with persons of interest. He provided that there is empirical evidence that chronologically connects every person of interest to the fire on the Capitol. “We have empirical evidence that is chronologically connected to every person of interest.”
The Police urged Liberians not to politize the investigation but to allow professional work to be done. “We politize everything in this country, but we urged Liberians not to politize this one. But allow the police to do an independent and professional investigation.”
Despite not revealing the persons of interest, the Inspector General employed that irrespective of the status of those persons of interest, the law will take its course.
“The National Security Council will further provide details to reveal the names of the persons of interest. But irrespective of the status, the rules of law will take its course.”
Like Coleman, the Deputy Director for Administration at the Liberia National Fire Service Emmanuel Farr noted that their observation reveals that the fire was caused by explosives. “From our observation, there were flammable substances that caused the fire at the Capital. It was not an electrical fault.” Emmanuel Fahn intimated.
The fire outbreak
Early on Wednesday, residents of Capitol Hill and neighboring communities were jolted awake by a fierce blaze engulfing the Capitol—the seat of the Liberian Legislature. The fire rapidly intensified, wreaking havoc on the building, particularly within the Joint Chambers and adjacent areas of the Capitol’s central wing.
The destruction escalated before the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) arrived on the scene shortly after 7:00 AM. However, the LNFS, alongside the Liberia Water and Sewer Cooperation and the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), successfully intervened to subdue the flames.
Just hours after the incident, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai visited the site and addressed the media, emphasizing that destruction is not a solution to societal problems. He called on the Justice Ministry to launch a prompt investigation to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
“We are a poor country and people are trying to help us and other people are bent on destroying this country. [If] you have a problem you have the rule of law. We have every way in this place to be able to listen to you. We will listen to you but we are not going to accept this. We ask the Ministry of Justice [and] all of the security apparatus to investigate this matter. People who are caught, we will deal with them and we will set the tone for all other people who when they get angry they destroy… we will not allow it,” the President emphasized.
