Arrest made in UC Berkeley police vehicle firebombing, three other arson attacks

UC BERKELEY – Authorities on Monday arrested a 34-year-old Oakland man in connection with the firebombing of a UC Berkeley Police Department vehicle and three other arson attacks at the school.

Casey Robert Goonan was booked into Alameda County jail on charges including arson and possession and use of destructive devices, Cal Fire said in a news release. His bail was set at $1 million.

Cal Fire said the attacks happened this month but did not provide any additional details.

The attacks were investigated by the Cal Fire-Office of the State Fire Marshal Arson and Bomb Unit, the UC Berkeley Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

It was not immediately clear if the attacks included a small fire that was set last Thursday outside Koshland Hall. Messages left for a Cal Fire spokesperson were not immediately returned.

A group of Palestinian supporters claimed responsibility for that fire. In a social media post, Palestine Action US said “UCLA students were attacked last night, so we retaliated with a firebomb on UCB campus.”

The group said people associated with the university interfered with a student protester who was trying to speak. They said more UC Berkeley buildings should be burned, and they threatened the entire university system with “our wrath of revenge” if it did not divest from Israel.

No one was injured in the fire at Koshland Hall and the building was not damaged.

Check back for updates.