Man suspected of setting fire to office of Madison anti-abortion group indicted by grand jury
A former Madison resident has been indicted by a grand jury in the May 2022 firebombing of a prominent anti-abortion group's office in Madison.
Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, was arrested in March and charged with one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive. Prosecutors accuse Roychowdhury of efforts to "terrorize" and "intimidate" by vandalizing and setting the offices of Wisconsin Family Action on fire.
Federal law requires that felony offenses charged by complaint be presented to a grand jury for indictment. A grand jury was empaneled in this matter after the charges were brought forward.
The incident occurred on Mother's Day, on May 8, at the abortion group's offices. An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined the fire was incendiary and was started using a device that was "consistent with the appearance and components of a Molotov cocktail," according to the criminal complaint.
The arsonist also spray-painted the message, "If abortions aren't safe then you aren't either," on the side of the building.
Investigators were able to track down Roychowdhury through DNA evidence and locating his vehicle in a separate graffiti incident that was similar to one spray painted on May 8.
In March, law enforcement observed Roychowdhury driving the same white Toyota pickup truck with the same plates and followed him.
Roychowdhury ultimately drove to a park-and-ride lot in Madison, where he discarded a bag of fast food into a trash can. Law enforcement then retrieved the bag. DNA from the contents inside the bag matched the DNA evidence recovered at Wisconsin Family Action, an ATF lab determined.
Later in March, Roychowdhury traveled from Madison to Portland, Maine and purchased a one-way ticket from Boston to Guatemala City, departing March 28. Law enforcement arrested Roychowdhury at the Boston airport prior to the plane departing.
Roychowdhury served as a research assistant while a doctorate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his degree in May 2022. "He is no longer affiliated with the university," a spokesperson with UW-Madison said Thursday.
A date for his appearance in the Western District of Wisconsin court in Madison has not been set. If convicted, Roychowdhury faces up to 20 years in prison.
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grand jury indicts man of firebombing anti-abortion group's Madison office
