Suspect arrested over arson attack on China's San Francisco consulate

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Wang Chuan, a spokesman for the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, points to the damaged doors. Photo: Reuters

A suspect accused of being responsible for the arson attack against the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on New Year's Day has been arrested,according to the China Press, a Chinese-language daily newspaper in the US.

The paper quoted Yuan Nansheng, China's Counsul General in San Fransisco, who revealed the latest development to a group of reporters on Friday evening. Yuan said the consulate had been told of the arrest by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the security and law enforcement arm of the US Department of State.

The identity of the suspect was not disclosed.

The attack happened in the evening on New Year's Day when a man jumped out of a minivan parked outside the consulate and poured two buckets of petrol on the front doors before setting them on fire.

The FBI said later the attack was arson and unlikely to have been an act of terrorism.