Ohio Man with White Supremacist Ties Pleads Guilty to Attempted Arson of Church Over Planned Drag Events

20 Year-old Member of White Lives Matter Group Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison for Federal Hate Crime Charges, Motivated by the Church's Support for LGBTQ+ Rights and Planned Drag Events.

20-year-old Aimenn Penny, affiliated with a local White Lives Matter group, has been convicted for attempting to commit arson at the Community Church of Chesterland in Ohio, which planned on hosting several drag events.
Penny, who expressed his intent to “protect children”, got incited after watching videos of news feeds and drag shows from France and decided to attack the church.
Following failed attempts with homemade Molotov cocktails leaving only scorch marks, Penny was arrested and had his home searched, unearthing a hand-written manifesto, a White Lives Matter t-shirt, a Nazi flag, and other Nazi memorabilia.
After pleading guilty to violating the Church Arson Prevention Act and using fire and explosives to commit a felony, Penny now faces a minimum sentence of 10 years to a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Despite the attempted arson and threats from far-right groups, the church still went ahead with its planned drag events under heightened security.