WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives released a photo Friday of a suspect being sought in Wednesday night’s arson at the Comet Ping Pong restaurant in Northwest D.C.
The man is described as 25 to 30 years old with blond hair and a beard. At the time of the fire, he was wearing jeans and a blue-and-white varsity-style jacket, authorities said.
The fire broke out after 9 p.m. Wednesday. NBC Washington reported that it had spread to some curtains and window coverings before employees extinguished it. There were no injuries.
The pizza restaurant on Connecticut Avenue Northwest has been the focus of an online conspiracy theory involving a supposed child sex ring and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In December 2016, this “pizzagate” conspiracy theory prompted a North Carolina man to fire an assault rifle inside the restaurant.
Edgar Welch later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Anyone with information is asked to email D.C. Fire and EMS or call 202-904-6511; they can also call ATF at 1-888-ATF-FIRE.
