Foreign National Behind Bars For Alabama Church Arson
Xiaoqin Yan, a Chinese national, has been sentenced to over eight years in federal prison for her role in attempting to set fire to a church in Alabama and for unlawfully possessing a firearm.
A federal judge issued a sentence of 102 months in prison without the possibility of parole, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama in a press release on Monday.
The incident unfolded in September 2021 when Yan entered the First Baptist Church of Montgomery and ignited multiple fires, causing significant damage to the property before being stopped by firefighters. The investigation involved several law enforcement agencies, including the Montgomery Fire/Rescue Bureau of Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with assistance from the Montgomery Police Department.
According to Pastor Mark Bethea of FBC Montgomery, he had previously interacted with Yan and had escorted her off the church premises on the day of the arson. Security personnel had also reported her suspicious behavior, leading them to record her license plate number.
Yan was apprehended in October 2021, during which authorities discovered materials such as gas containers, lighters, starter logs, and an illegally possessed handgun.
At the time of her arrest and during the commission of the arson, Yan was in the United States unlawfully, possessing an expired non-immigrant visa. In June of the following year, a federal jury in Montgomery found her guilty of arson and illegal possession of a firearm, crimes that could have resulted in a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Reacting to the incident, Bethea expressed his bewilderment at the motive behind the destruction of a place that had been a beacon of hope for the community. He cited Scripture, recognizing that despite the evil intentions, God can bring about good.
Recent years have seen an uptick in attacks on church buildings across the United States, according to data compiled by the Family Research Council. In 2023 alone, there were 436 reported incidents against churches, more than double the previous year and eight times higher than in 2018, as reported by the conservative Christian advocacy group.