Suspected Ontario warehouse arsonist due in court for arraignment

Ontario warehouse arson suspect facing federal charges

Chamel Abdulkarim faces federal and state charges for allegedly burning down an Ontario warehouse, reportedly invoking the name of Luigi Mangione in his messages.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. - An Inland Empire man charged with setting a massive six-alarm fire that destroyed a Kimberly-Clark distribution center in Ontario is due in court Monday for his arraignment.

What we know:

On April 9, federal prosecutors filed charges against Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, of Highland. According to an affidavit filed with the federal complaint, Abdulkarim—an employee of NFI Industries, the logistics provider for the facility—recorded himself during the act.

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The fire destroyed the 1.2-million-square-foot facility and caused an estimated $500 million in damage. In the video, recorded early Tuesday morning, Abdulkarim is allegedly seen setting fire to multiple pallets of paper goods inside the warehouse.

The Justice Department further alleges that Abdulkarim sent text messages and made phone calls boasting about the destruction. "I just cost these [expletive] billions," one message allegedly read. Another stated, "All you had to do was pay us enough to live... Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift."

He was arrested two miles from the scene shortly after the six-alarm fire forced 175 firefighters into a defensive battle. The building, which housed household goods like Kleenex and Cottonelle, suffered a total roof collapse and is considered a complete loss.

He remains in custody without bail at the West Valley Detention Center and is set to be arraigned on state criminal charges in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

Timeline:

• Tuesday, April 7: The fire breaks out at 12:30 a.m. Abdulkarim is arrested two miles from the scene later that morning.
• Thursday, April 9: The U.S. Department of Justice files a federal criminal complaint following an investigation by the FBI and ATF.
• Friday, April 10: DOJ charges Abdulkarim with deliberately setting the fire.
• Monday, April 13: Abdulkarim is scheduled to be arraigned on state charges in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

What we don't know:

A motive remains under investigation as authorities continue to look into Abdulkarim’s social media activity and digital footprint.

What's next:

If convicted on the federal charges alone, Abdulkarim faces up to 20 years in prison. Kimberly-Clark indicated it will provide more detailed information on the financial impact during its quarterly update on April 28.