‘But torching a police car has nothing to do with peaceful protest…’
(Joshua Paladino, Liberty Headlines) The FBI tracked a woman’s internet history and concluded that she was responsible for burning two cops cars that belonged to the Philadelphia Police Department on May 30.
The FBI arrested Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal, 33, and the Justice Department charged her with two counts of felony arson, WCAU reported.
FBI agents searched through Instragram posts that showed the burning cars and about 500 additional photographs of the incident from multiple photographers, The Daily Mail reported.
These photos helped them read the words on the arsonist’s shirt: “KEEP THE IMMIGRANTS, DEPORT THE RACISTS.”
They tracked the shirt to its origin and learned that it was a custom-made product from a seller on the website Etsy.
A user named “Xx Mv” posted a review about the shirt.
Xx Mv’s personal Etsy URL is “alleycatlore.” Her profile said she lived in Philadelphia.
When FBI agents searched for “alleycatlore” on the internet, they found a Poshmark user named “Lore-Elizabeth.”
Then they searched “Lore-Elizabeth Philadelphia” and came to Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal’s LinkedIn profile, which showed a Philadelphia-area massage therapist.
The massage therapy company that Blumenthal worked for had posted videos of her on Vimeo.
FBI agents were able to match the tattoos that were seen on the arsonist at the crime scene with the tattoos that were on the massage therapist in the videos.
A phone number on the company’s website led the agents to Blumenthal’s phone number and home address.
Etsy complied with an FBI subpoena and confirmed that Xx Mv purchased the shirt and that the seller sent the shirt to Lore Elizabeth in Philadelphia.
Paul Hetznecker, the attorney who represents Blumenthal, said the federal charges against Blumenthal are “political.”
U.S. Attorney William McSwain’s office filed the charges.
“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,” McSwain said in a statement.