Unidentified arsonists firebombed a public-policy think tank and two other conservative organizations based in Minnesota last weekend, prompting a multipronged investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The perpetrators burned three offices belonging to the Center of the American Experiment, the Upper Midwest Law Center, and TakeCharge. The arson resulted in significant fire damage to the office building. All three groups are located inside the same building in Golden Valley, Minn., a suburb roughly seven miles west of Minneapolis.
Two fires were set around 2 a.m. Sunday outside the first-floor offices of American Experiment and TakeCharge and in the third-floor offices of UMLC, American Experiment spokesman Bill Walsh wrote in a press release on Friday. The second floor was not visibly damaged by either fire.
The FBI is leading the criminal investigation, while the ATF is conducting an investigation into the origin and cause of the fires. In addition to both federal agencies, the incident is being investigated by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Hennepin County Fire Investigation team.
No perpetrators have been identified yet, although American Experiment president and UMLC board member John Hinderaker believes leftists specifically targeted the three organizations.
“The fires obviously were set by someone,” Hinderaker said in the press release. “They targeted conservative organizations, they didn’t firebomb the chiropractors or psychologists or the Manufacturers Alliance. We are cooperating with the FBI to try to identify the perpetrators.”
When asked by National Review who he thinks was behind the incident, Hinderaker said it could be any group that isn’t fond of American Experiment and its policies. The think tank, for example, has opposed wind- and solar-energy projects, supported local police after the Black Lives Matter riots following George Floyd’s death, and recently announced that former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett will speak at its annual dinner in June.
Because of American Experiment’s stances on these issues, Hinderaker said the possible perpetrators could have been eco-terrorists, Antifa-type groups, or Hamas supporters.
The conservative organization has also been critical of Democratic governor Tim Walz’s administration, he noted.
“There’s really just a wide spectrum of people on the left, and it’s not hard to say who doesn’t like us,” Hinderaker said. “What’s hard to say is who in the world would actually try to burn down our offices. It’s one thing to be attacked on Twitter. It’s something else to have somebody firebomb your office.”
A video published by American Experiment shows the destruction caused by the first-floor fire, which Hinderaker said neither penetrated the sheetrock nor entered the office, though an inch or two of water remains on the floor after the fire was extinguished.
Hinderaker first posted about the news on his personal blog on Thursday.
As the investigation remains ongoing, American Experiment employees must work remotely until they can find a new office space. Due to the fire damage, it’s estimated that building repairs will take months. However, the setbacks are not stopping the think tank from carrying out its mission.
“This firebombing will not slow us down — American Experiment’s work for freedom is not dependent on a bricks-and-mortar location,” Hinderaker added in the press release. “In fact, we launched a new campaign today opposing Gov. Walz’s new fuel standards that are more extreme, and more expensive, than even those of California, Oregon, and Washington.”
Arson won’t slow us down.
New footage and update from our President John Hinderaker here: pic.twitter.com/a3lUnSUKtq
— Center of the American Experiment (@MNThinkTank) February 2, 2024
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.