31-year-old Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal was tracked down after investigators identified her by a distinctive t-shirt she was wearing that had the slogan: ‘Keep The Immigrants, Deport The Racists’.
Footage of Blumenthal fire-bombing the marked police patrol vehicles was widely shared on social media last month.
As the rioter had hidden her face, investigators tried to track down where she had purchased her t-shirt from.
Their investigations led them to a bespoke shop on Etsy. They noticed that someone with the username ‘Xx Mv’ had purchased one of the t-shirts and had left a review of the product.
The review said: ‘Fast shipping, thanks very much!’
Blumenthal had also posted a picture of herself alongside her review only days before she firebombed the patrol vehicles.
Investigators then managed to track down Blumenthal’s URL, and it was not long before they found that it belonged to ‘alleycatlore’, a page listed in Philadelphia where the incident took place.
Investigators then linked ‘alleycatlore’ to an account with the username of Lore-Elisabeth on ‘Poshmark’ which is an online marketplace for people to buy and sell clothes.
After running various searches on her name, officers found her profile on Linked.
Investigators also identified her from a ‘peace’ tattoo that she has on her forearm.
U.S. Attorney McSwain said:
“We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office fully support the First Amendment right of the people to assemble peaceably and to petition their government.
“But torching a police car has nothing to do with peaceful protest or any legitimate message.
“It is a violent and despicable act that will be prosecuted in this District to the fullest extent of the law.
“Anybody who engaged in such acts can stand by to put your hands behind your back and head to federal prison. We are coming for you.”
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said:
“During the past several weeks, multitudes of people peacefully and lawfully exercised their First Amendment right to protest.
“However, there were individuals who chose to use the protests as an opportunity to engage in criminal activity.
“Some of these individuals’ actions were malicious, destructive, and could have resulted in critical injuries to others. We are privileged to have worked, and will continue to work, with our partners in law enforcement to investigate, identify and hold accountable the persons who committed these unlawful acts.”
If convicted, Blumenthal faces up to eight years in prison as well as a fine of up to $500,000.
Acting Special Agent in Charge John Schmidt added:
“Our communities deserve to be safe from these types of violent crimes.
“Everybody deserves to be safe from violent criminals utilizing dangerous methods to destroy our neighbourhoods and property.
“ATF will always work with our local, state and federal partners to investigate and arrest the criminals who choose to use arson to commit their crimes and terrorize the public.”
Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, said:
“Masses of people took to the streets of Philadelphia on May 30, exercising their right to peacefully protest.
“They were there to send a message in which they truly believed.
“Sprinkled among the crowd, though, were agitators, whose sole purpose was to commit crimes and cause chaos.
“As alleged, Blumenthal came prepared for just that, carrying out these arsons that destroyed property and put many lives at risk.
“Sadly, such acts also hijacked the message of the day’s demonstrators, whose calls for change were obscured for a time by the smoke from all those fires.
“Working with our law enforcement partners, the FBI is committed to bringing to justice those responsible for violent acts during the otherwise peaceful protests in Philadelphia.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Philadelphia Police Department and the Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office, with assistance from the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
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