Guyanese man admits to firebombing houses of worship in Queens, New York

Last Updated on Saturday, 11 July 2026, 8:33 by Denis Chabrol

A 36-year old Guyanese man has admitted to carrying out a string of Molotov cocktail attacks in New York City and he had a pending arrest for allegedly threatening to cut a man’s head off, ABC7 New York reported.

Yogesh Sayrange appeared in federal court Thursday in connection with the June 25 firebombing of a smoke shop on Fulton Street in Brooklyn.

Federal prosecutors said Sayrange, a Guyanese national, was living in the United States illegally after protections he received upon arriving in the country as a child expired. Prosecutors said he told investigators he had a pending application to renew his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status.

According to prosecutors, Sayrange admitted to the attack, telling investigators, “Yes, I f-ing firebombed them. They’re Muslims, scum and terrorists.”

Authorities believe Sayrange is responsible for seven arson incidents since late June, most of them targeting houses of worship, along with several commercial locations.

The latest attacks occurred Wednesday night in Queens.

Police said Sayrange allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the front door of Iglesia Bautista El Mesias on 75th Street in Ozone Park at about 11:35 p.m. Surveillance video appeared to show him speaking with a group of men outside the church before lighting and throwing the device.

Federal prosecutors said that before the attack, Sayrange asked the men, “Do you want this institution to be turned into a mosque?”

The incendiary device bounced off the church door and exploded on the ground, causing no damage to the building.

Investigators said Sayrange then traveled to a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on 78th Street in Woodhaven, where he allegedly threw a second Molotov cocktail. That device also bounced off the building and exploded on the ground without causing damage.

A third incident was reported nearby at an ambulette company on Rockaway Boulevard in Cypress Hills. Mechanics working late said a firebomb landed in the parking lot.

“We heard like a little bang. I go outside. The floor was on fire,” one witness said.

No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.

Authorities arrested Sayrange shortly afterward and recovered two additional Molotov cocktails from his bag. According to prosecutors, when asked about the unused devices, he replied, “I had two more in my bag. I was going to finish the job.”