Disgruntled worker invokes Luigi Mangione in $500M warehouse inferno he filmed in anti-capitalist rage: feds

A disgruntled Inland Empire employe accused of causing $500 cardinal successful harm invoked Luigi Mangione arsenic helium filmed himself torching a warehouse arsenic helium railed against wages, authorities said.

Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, of Highland, California, is charged with deliberately mounting the April 7 inferno that destroyed a 1.2 million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark organisation halfway successful Ontario. He pleaded not blameworthy Monday to national and authorities charges, authorities said.

According to a Department of Justice transgression complaint, Abdulkarim, who worked astatine the installation done a third-party logistics provider, filmed himself mounting aggregate pallets of insubstantial goods connected occurrence successful the aboriginal greeting hours.

In the video, helium allegedly complained astir wages, saying, "If you’re not going to wage america capable to [expletive] live… astatine slightest wage america capable not to bash this," according to the DOJ affidavit.

MAN IN CUSTODY FOR ALLEGEDLY THROWING MOLOTOV COCKTAILS INTO LA FEDERAL BUILDING, DOCS SHOW

Chamel Abdulkarim appears successful San Bernardino County Superior Court earlier Judge Shannon L. Faherty connected April 13, 2026 successful Rancho Cucamonga, California. (Frederick M. Brown)

Federal prosecutors accidental the flames rapidly spread, collapsing the extortion and leveling the full facility, which stored household products similar Kleenex and Cottonelle.

Investigators allege Abdulkarim aboriginal bragged astir the demolition successful texts and telephone calls, including 1 connection that read, "I conscionable outgo these [expletive] billions," portion railing against firm profits and shareholders.

In a abstracted call, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Abdulkarim compared himself to Mangione — the fishy accused successful the sidesplitting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

"Luigi popped that muther------," Abdulkarim said, according to the national complaint, adding "a batch of radical are going to understand."

Chamel Abdulkarim was charged successful a warehouse arson successful California. He filmed himself mounting the installation connected fire, authorities said. (Department of Justice)

Fox News contributor and erstwhile FBI peculiar cause Nicole Parker told Fox News Digital that Abdulkarim seems to person utilized akin tactics arsenic Mangione, calling it the "Luigi effect."

"Luigi garnered a important magnitude of attraction and empathy from galore due to the fact that of his ‘cause’ arsenic a justification for his grievance," she said. "Several are present copying him to 1 grade oregon different successful an effort to summation that aforesaid level of attraction and leader status."

Abdulkarim "believes helium was speaking and acting retired connected behalf of the American people" arsenic helium ranted astir workers being paid capable to live.

"Chamel was arrogant to person outgo implicit $1 cardinal to the company," Parker said. "It is simply a troubling clip successful our nine erstwhile offenders volition spell to each lengths nary substance however destructive oregon evil to beryllium a constituent for their cause. 

"I notation to it arsenic the ‘Luigi effect’ wherever offenders person learned to absorption attraction connected their grievance done unit owed to the sensationalization from online platforms and societal media. Law enforcement and specifically the FBI volition beryllium digging into his behaviors and what led him down the way to violence. Turning to unit to settee a grievance is ne'er the answer. He chose to transportation retired these atrocious crimes but helium volition not take the consequence."

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Chamel Abdulkarim was charged successful a California warehouse arson that helium allegedly filmed arsenic helium acceptable occurrence to the facility, authorities said. (Department of Justice)

Prosecutors allege Abdulkarim acted "willfully, maliciously, and with premeditation" erstwhile helium acceptable the fire, behaviour they accidental was carried retired nether circumstances apt to origin wounded and monolithic spot destruction, according to a San Bernardino County felony complaint.

The ailment charges him with aggravated arson, a top-tier felony, on with aggregate further counts of arson of a operation tied to the aforesaid blaze.

Authorities accidental the occurrence caused losses acold exceeding $10 million, a cardinal threshold that elevates the severity of the charge, portion national officials estimation full harm astatine astir $500 million.

MASSIVE SIX-ALARM BLAZE ENGULFS CALIFORNIA WAREHOUSE, EMPLOYEE DETAINED

Chamel Abdulkarim appears successful tribunal aft pleading not blameworthy successful the Ontario warehouse occurrence case. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

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"America is founded connected escaped endeavor and capitalism… Anyone who attacks our values, our mode of life, our system… we’re gonna travel aft aggressively," Essayli said.

Firefighters conflict a monolithic six-alarm blaze astatine a Kimberly-Clark warehouse successful Ontario, California, connected April 7, 2026, aft authorities said the occurrence was intentionally set. (KTTV)

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Abdulkarim was arrested astir 2 miles from the country soon aft the occurrence broke out. Roughly 175 firefighters responded to the six-alarm blaze, which is considered 1 of the astir destructive warehouse fires successful the region. No injuries were reported.

Chamel Abdulkarim is accused of mounting a monolithic warehouse occurrence successful Ontario, California. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

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San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson blasted the alleged crime, calling arson "a existent head-scratcher" and informing it puts lives, jobs and commerce astatine risk.

"I bash not recognize somebody… to displace radical from their jobs, to ruin commerce, to get successful the mode of labor, to enactment radical successful carnal harm," Anderson said.

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Abdulkarim is charged federally with arson of a gathering utilized successful interstate and overseas commerce and faces aggregate authorities felony counts that could importantly summation his situation exposure.

If convicted connected the national complaint alone, helium would look a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 20 years successful prison. Prosecutors person besides signaled the lawsuit involves aggravating factors, including the standard of demolition and imaginable information to others.