Arsonist Arrested Within Four Days of Attack on Michigan in Planned Parenthood—No Arrests Made after 58 Days in 45 Attacks on Pro-life Pregnancy Centers

On August 31^st, fires were lit at a Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo, MI. Fires were ignited on the roof using a Duraflame log. Immediately following the attack on the Planned Parenthood, a multi-agency investigation ensued. Four days later, 25-year-old Joshua Brereton was arrested on charges of arson. According to a press release published by the United States Attorney’s Office, the case is being prosecuted as arson by the Assistant United States Attorney, Stephanie Carowan.

In stark contrast to the swift justice given to the isolated attack on Planned Parenthood, there have been no arrests in the 45 attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers—the most brutal of which occurred on June 7^th with the firebombing of CompassCare’s pro-life medical office in Buffalo. The Amherst Police released their first statement on the investigation on August 1^st, and the FBI had not begun a forensic analysis of CompassCare’s extensive video surveillance footage until July 13^th—five weeks after the attack. To date, despite the video surveillance showing multiple arsonists using multiple incendiary devices, neither the Amherst Police nor FBI have publicly labeled the attack on CompassCare as arson.

The Senate Judiciary Committee may believe the FBI is slow-walking investigations in the scores of attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and churches. August 4, the Committee grilled FBI Director (2:21:30-2:25:28), Christopher A. Wray, asking how many domestic terrorism investigations the FBI is currently pursuing with regard to the attacks on pro-life organizations and churches, and what the status is on those investigations. He said he is not aware of how many investigations but that the joint terrorism task force is engaged in reviewing multiple incidences. When asked how many of the investigations into pro-abortion activists have resulted in federal prosecution under the FACE Act, Wray said, “I don’t have that number.”

CompassCare CEO Rev. Jim Harden does have that number. It is zero. He goes on to denounce the attack against Planned Parenthood stating, “If Joshua Brereton did commit this crime, he is no better than Jane’s Revenge. Christian pro-lifers do not repay evil for evil. But law enforcement must enforce the law equally. It makes me happy to know that the FBI caught him. However, if the FBI can find out where a Duraflame log was purchased using ashes in order to arrest this criminal within days, I don’t need to be a police investigator to know that the FBI has, at best, shirked their responsibilities regarding the brutal firebombing of CompassCare’s Buffalo medical office.”