The Republican New Mexico headquarters was damaged early Sunday morning when the party called it “intentional arson.”
Albuquerque Fire Rescue confirmed it had been sent to the party headquarters before 6 a.m. to report the report of the fire in the structure, which was controlled within five minutes. No harm to civilians or firefighters was reported.
Fire department spokesman Lieutenant Jason Ferger said Sunday that the fire destroyed the entrance to the headquarters and caused smoke damage throughout the building.
He confirmed that the department, the FBI, as well as the Alcohol Bureau, tobacco, guns and explosives are investigating the fire as an act of arson.
A FBI spokeswoman confirmed that the investigation was underway, but said she could not provide further details because the investigation was underway. The ATF did not immediately respond to Sunday’s request for information.
The Albuquerque Police Department confirmed that federal authorities are investigating but provided no further information, including whether the arrest has been made.
The Republican Party of New Mexico said in a statement that the fire was not an “isolated incident” and was accompanied by the sprayed letter “ice = kkk”.
In recent months, ICE, U.S. immigration and customs law enforcement have deployed the Trump administration’s characteristics across the country to deliver new efforts to target illegal immigration and adopt important campaign commitments for mass deportation.
The New Mexico Democratic Party said on Sunday it condemned “any vandalist at the Republican headquarters in New Mexico will be as many as possible.”
“We insist that such behavior has absolutely no place in our democracy and that peaceful discourse and organization are the only way to resolve political differences in our country,” the state Democrat added. “We want to find and take responsibility.”
Amy Barela, chairman of the New Mexico Republican Party, said on Sunday that the party’s headquarters’ alarm system was around 1 a.m., about four hours before the fire began.
She said in recent years, the headquarters has had a separate bomb threat and other acts of vandalism.
This month, a former Republican candidate in the New Mexico House of Representatives was found guilty of hiring people to shoot houses at Albuquerque Democratic officials in 2022 and 2023.
“We totally condemn the violence,” Ms. Barrera said. “It doesn’t matter where it comes from.”
She said the party “deeply reassured that no one was hurt by the tragic and fatal attack.”
