A 27-year -old woman has been charged in an arson fire at the historic First Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL, reports the Montgomery Advertiser.
Xiaoquin Yan faces a second degree arson charge in the September 30th fire.
WSFA reports she’s accused of setting four fires inside the church.
Pastor Mark Bethea told the agents from the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that he had escorted a “small in stature Asian female” out of the church because he felt she was acting suspiciously.
Several weeks earlier, he said security at the church noted the license plate of an Asian woman visitor also because of suspicious activity.
Security footage taken the day of the fire shows an Asian woman carrying a duffel bag, a bag similar to one seen being carried earlier by the suspicious woman.
After the fire, the woman is seen leaving the church with the same bag.
Yang is being held on $150,000 bail and has been ordered to undergo an mental health evaluation. She faces 5-20 years in prison if convicted, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
Authorities say she came to the United States on a student visa, but is not actually enrolled at a university. She is therefore classified an undocumented.
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