The FBI is investigating a fire at a Missouri Planned Parenthood clinic as a potential hate crime
Source: CNN
By Michelle Lou and Brandon Griggs, CNN
Updated 11:53 AM ET, Thu February 14, 2019
(CNN)The FBI is investigating a suspicious fire that occurred at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, Missouri, on Sunday as a potential hate crime.
Anyone who provides information about the incident could receive a $10,000 award, the FBI said.
Someone wearing dark clothing was captured on surveillance video walking onto Planned Parenthood's grounds at 4:05 a.m., the FBI said. A minute later, a fire alarm at the clinic was set off by a small blaze, Columbia Police said. The same person was later seen on video leaving the grounds as smoke spread from the building.
An assistant fire marshal determined that the fire was suspicious and alerted the police, Columbia Police said.
The FBI handles potential federal civil rights violations, which include breaches of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The FACE Act makes it a crime for people to intentionally damage or interfere with a facility because it offers reproductive health services. The agency has opened a hate crime investigation, it said in a statement.
Clinic to reopen
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Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/14/us/fbi-planned-parenthood-fire-trnd/index.html