NEW YORK (WABC) — A man accused of carrying out a string of Molotov cocktail attacks in New York City had a pending arrest for allegedly threatening to cut a man’s head off.<\/p>\n
Yogesh Sayrange, 36, appeared in federal court Thursday<\/a> in connection with the June 25 firebombing of a smoke shop on Fulton Street in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n (Video in media player is from a previous report)<\/p>\n According to prosecutors, Sayrange admitted to the attack, telling investigators, “Yes, I f-ing firebombed them. They’re Muslims, scum and terrorists.”<\/p>\n Authorities believe Sayrange is responsible for seven arson incidents since late June, most of them targeting houses of worship, along with several commercial locations.<\/p>\n The latest attacks occurred Wednesday night in Queens.<\/p>\n Police said Sayrange allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the front door of Iglesia Bautista El Mesias on 75th Street in Ozone Park at about 11:35 p.m. Surveillance video appeared to show him speaking with a group of men outside the church before lighting and throwing the device.<\/p>\n Federal prosecutors said that before the attack, Sayrange asked the men, “Do you want this institution to be turned into a mosque?”<\/p>\n The incendiary device bounced off the church door and exploded on the ground, causing no damage to the building.<\/p>\n Investigators said Sayrange then traveled to a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on 78th Street in Woodhaven, where he allegedly threw a second Molotov cocktail. That device also bounced off the building and exploded on the ground without causing damage.<\/p>\n A third incident was reported nearby at an ambulette company on Rockaway Boulevard in Cypress Hills. Mechanics working late said a firebomb landed in the parking lot.<\/p>\n “We heard like a little bang. I go outside. The floor was on fire,” one witness said.<\/p>\n No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.<\/p>\n Authorities arrested Sayrange shortly afterward and recovered two additional Molotov cocktails from his bag. According to prosecutors, when asked about the unused devices, he replied, “I had two more in my bag. I was going to finish the job.”<\/p>\n Federal prosecutors said Sayrange, a Guyanese national, was living in the United States illegally after protections he received upon arriving in the country as a child expired. Prosecutors said he told investigators he had a pending application to renew his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status.<\/p>\n Court records show Sayrange also has two pending criminal cases. He was arrested June 12 in Manhattan for allegedly threatening someone with a metal knuckle knife and arrested again June 16 in Queens for allegedly waving an ax at a man and threatening to cut off his head.<\/p>\n He was ordered held without bail.<\/p>\n Investigators continue to examine whether bias or religious hatred played a role in the attacks.<\/p>\n ———-<\/p>\n * Get Eyewitness News Delivered<\/a> <\/p>\n * More Manhattan news<\/a><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts<\/a> <\/p>\n * Follow us on YouTube<\/a> <\/p>\n
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