By NAP staff
The North American Post
A New Year’s Eve arson attack on Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple has caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage and forced the temple’s temporary closure. But perhaps the worst result of the crime is that historic archives dating back to 1901 were lost in the fire and damaged by smoke and water as firefighters put out the blaze.
Police apprehended the suspect, Waylon James Williams, 42, after he left the church and broke into a nearby home on New Year’s Eve night. Upon arrest, he claimed that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and ran into the church because he thought the federal government was chasing him. He went to the basement and started throwing around bottles of propane and alcohol, starting the fire, he told police.
No one was injured in the attack, and the main hall and ossuary were not burned, but damage from smoke and soot spread throughout the temple.
The temple had to close just ahead of its New Year’s Day services. It remains closed while the temple focuses on raising money for repairs.
Donations to the temple’s restoration fund are being accepted at the following website: https://seattlebetsuin.org/fire
