Police Investigator Implicates Capitol Building Fire Suspects By: Yassah J Wright

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Prosecution’s first witness in the ongoing fire incident which led to the burning of the Capitol Building, on Wednesday provided details regarding the involvement of Defendant Thomas Etheridge and several others to the act. Testifying at the Monrovia City Court, Insp. ACP Rafell Wilson said Ethridge and other defendants were in the building when it was allegedly set ablaze by them. Defendant lawyers asked witness Wilson, about Defendants Thomas Iassc Etheridge, including John Nyanti, Amos Folfa, Stephen Broh and others who are at large physically executed the ARSON at the Capitol Building. Witness Wilson, in open court noted that ” Defendant Etheridge arrested and charged before the court, is one of the two defendants that are before court.”

“The defendants surreptitiously, maliciously, entered the building with the gas and the matches, moved up on the 3rd floor as well as the 4th floor and lit the fire after spreading the gas which gutted the building thus damaging properties, valued eight Million, Six Hundred plus thousand United States Dollars,” Wilson claimed in the testimony. Wilson testified that on December 18, 2024 about 5:5-20 employees of the Capitol Building especially those who worked in the maintenance department to include James Mulbah arrived at the premises and began to open the doors to the Representative Wings. When Mulbah had accessed to the building, he started to open each of the doors from the east of the Capitol Building, meaning between the pedestrians’ gate and the gate facing the University of Liberia, where there are two doors, according to Wilson’s testimony. He said one of the two doors is not regularly used, therefore, Mulbah managed to open the door that was regularly used; there he began to open the remaining ones.  After Mulbah had accessed to the doors, Wilson claimed, that he (Mulbah) quickly moved to the Speaker Wings, from there he opened the main gate precisely the gate or door where the speaker’s vehicle usually parks. When the door was opened, Wilson further testified that he saw Defendant Eric Susay and at that time, it was between 6:20, 6:25, 6:30, and they greeted each other. According to Wilson’s testimony, it was after the incident that the police and other law enforcement agency moved on the premises of the Capitol Building, and subsequently considered said area as a crime scene. As such, the witness said, they searched the compound and brought in over 65 persons to the LNP Headquarters as persons of interest. During the investigation process, Winson said, Cllr Jonathan Massaquoi came in and requested to sign for Defendant Ethridge and other persons that were brought in for questioning as persons of interest.

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