Man pleads not guilty to firebombing Wisconsin pro-life organization

The man accused of firebombing the office of a Wisconsin pro-life organization last year pleaded not guilty to the charges last week.

Hridindu Roychowdhury, age 29, of Madison, allegedly threw two Molotov cocktails into the office of Wisconsin Family Action in May 2022 following the leak of the draft Supreme Court ruling of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that indicated the court would overturn Roe v. Wade. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive.

One of the Molotov cocktails thrown into the building failed to ignite, while the other set a bookcase on fire. The message “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either” was spray-painted onto the building. No one was in the building at the time of the firebombing.

Police arrested Roychowdhury in a Boston airport in March after his DNA was matched to samples found at the crime scene, according to the Chicago Tribune. DNA was found on swabs of the top and bottom of the office’s window, on the outside of a jar used in the firebombing, on a lighter, and on a blue cloth that was in one of the Molotov cocktails.

Initially, the DNA didn’t match any existing criminal profiles, however, police ultimately were able to use DNA tests, handwriting analysis, social media posts, and surveillance video to place Roychowdhury at the scene. According to The Daily Beast, surveillance video taken during a protest at the Wisconsin State Capitol regarding a police shooting in Atlanta showed a man spraying-painting the words “We will get revenge” in the same style of writing as the spray paint on the Wisconsin Family Action office building.

Security footage from a nearby parking lot revealed the individual and a companion leaving in a truck, and the license plate was traced to a home in Madison. In addition, an Instagram account that advertised the protest was tied to Roychowdhury, who lives at the same address as the owner of the truck.

On March 1, the police saw Roychowdhury throw a fast-food bag into the trash and they retrieved that bag, which included a partially eaten burrito. Everything in the bag was sent to the lab and on March 17, a forensic biologist matched the DNA to that found at the firebombed office.

At the time of his arrest, Roychowdhury had planned to fly one way to Guatemala. He is currently in federal custody but has not been returned to Wisconsin. Roychowdhury waived his right to appear in court for an arraignment when he is returned to the state.

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