The Chinese Consulate in San Francisco announced that on Jan. 1, the consulate was the site of an arson which caused serious damage to its facilities.
The consulate's website said the torching incident happened at 9:35 p.m. Surveillance video showed a man in a bakery truck parked next to the Chinese Consulate pouring two canisters of gasoline on the front door before setting it on fire. There front door was heavily damaged.
A statement from the consulate said, "This arson was directed at the Chinese consulate leadership and associated persons. It was a despicable act and a very damaging one at that. We had very serious damage done to our facilities, and also it was a threat on the people here at our facilities and their safety. We strongly condemn this disgusting act."
The consulate spokesperson said "the San Francisco Police and Fire Department, the U.S. State Department and other security bureaus are working quickly at the scene. So far this case is still under investigation."
The consulate has requested American authorities to quickly and thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for the arson and to assure the protection of its workers.
The Jan. 1st incident was not the first time that the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco was set on fire. In March 2008, as the Olympic torch was passing through San Francisco for the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, the consulate's front door was set ablaze.