An East Longmeadow man has been charged with attempted arson at an assisted living residential facility in Longmeadow.
The U.S. Justice Department says John Michael Rathbun was arrested on Wednesday and charged in federal court in Springfield.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said Rathbun allegedly tried to blow up Ruth's House, a Jewish-sponsored assisted-living residence for people of all faiths, with a five-gallon gas canister at the same time the facility was being discussed on white supremacist online platforms earlier this month.
The DOJ says blood found on a Christian religious pamphlet placed in the nozzle of the canister contained Rathbun's DNA.
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