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20-year-old Aimenn Penny has been charged with two counts of malicious use of explosive material after he was accused of firebombing a church in Ohio on March 25, 2023. Aimenn was further accused of two counts of malicious use of explosive materials and possession of a destructive device. According to prosecutors, a “Drag Queen Story Time” was to be organized at the Ohio Church on April 1, and the attack was a response to the event.
Aimenn Penny has also been found to have possessed several hateful memorabilia, including a Nazi flag and a “White Lives Matter of Ohio” t-shirt, gas masks, etc. According to the Wadsworth Police Department, they also spotted him distributing anti-drag flyers. He was also seen at another drag event on March 11, 2023, where the extremists were heard hurling homophobic slurs.
Ohio man Aimenn Penny allegedly threw Molotov cocktails into a church that was scheduled to host a drag event on Saturday
Aimenn Penny, a 20-year-old Ohio man, allegedly firebombed the Community Church of Chesterland (CCC) on March 25, 2023. Penny reportedly wanted to burn down the church that had planned to host two drag events on April 1, 2023. Upon thorough investigation, FBI agents found several hateful items that belonged to Aimenn Penny. They recovered Nazi flags and items like a gas mask, gas cans, and multiple rolls of blue painter’s tape.
He is suspected to be one of the men who threw Molotov cocktails at the Ohio church last Saturday. The church reportedly received hate mail before the attack, which forced the authorities to infer the same. The attack caused severe damage to the church, including burning the front door of the church. It also damaged the exterior of the property and a sign that was on one corner of the premises.
Penny has been charged with one count of malicious use of explosive materials and one count of possessing a destructive device. According to Chester Township Police, authorities recovered broken glass pieces that seemed to be part of bottles of Corona beer and Denaka Vodka.
Fire Assistant US Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler said:
“Violence and destruction are never an acceptable way to express a disagreement with a particular viewpoint.”
Baeppler further continued that every American has the right to disagree with a specific viewpoint. However, violence can’t be an alternative to express it. She added:
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio remains committed to protecting the rights of all citizens to express their viewpoints peacefully.”
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olden of the Justice Department’s National Security Division also shed light on the issue, saying:
“As alleged in the charging documents, the defendant used an explosive device to cause harm to a church he found objectionable. It is the solemn duty of the Department of Justice to safeguard the right of all Americans to free expression, and I commend the work of law enforcement in this matter.”
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI Cleveland Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Chester Township Police Department, worked together to investigate the attack made by Aimenn Penny. Authorities stated that if convicted, Penny could face a minimum sentence of five years and up to twenty years in jail for maliciously using explosive materials. He can further spend up to ten years on another charge, which is the possession of a destructive device charge.
Aimenn was reportedly seen using homophobic slurs at a drag queen event on March 11
This is reportedly not the first time that Aimenn has portrayed alleged racist behavior. A drag queen event took place on March 11, where Penny was one of the many “White Lives Matter” members who were carrying “swastika flags and shouting racial and homophobic slurs and ‘Heil Hitler.’”
In October 2022, the Alliance Police Department again found Aimenn Penny distributing hateful flyers. An affidavit stating his charges said:
“Penny told the police that the flyers were an effort to spread the ‘word.’ In Penny’s opinion, African-Americans were the ‘problem.’ Further, he wanted to educate everyone about their violence towards white Americans. Penny stated that he believed African-Americans were solely responsible for the high crime rate across the country.”
The affidavit further stated:
“Penny expressed his belief that the United States will not prosper until all the other races, or ’weaknesses' as he called them, are gone.”
At the time, authorities noticed that the 20-year-old was carrying a large hunting knife. According to the affidavit, he also possessed a gun. In the context of the March 25 incident, FBI agents claimed that Penny admitted to having thrown Molotov cocktails at the church.
He reportedly mentioned that he wanted to stop the drag show event and used bottles from his bedroom to prepare the Molotov cocktails. Aimenn Penny further stated that he would have “felt better” had the Molotov cocktails worked better.
