A Queens man accused of going on a crazed New Year’s Day fire-bombing spree that struck a mosque, a Hindu temple inside a house, a deli and two other homes is facing both state and federal arson and hate crime charges, authorities revealed today.
Ray Lazier Lengend, 40, “endangered scores of people when he allegedly tossed crude firebombs at five buildings during a hate-filled rampage,” said Queens DA Richard Brown as he announced a 36-count Queens grand jury indictment topped by an arson-as-a-hate crime charge.
At the same time, a new Brooklyn federal court indictment charges Lengend with hate crimes and explosives offenses in connection with the attacks.
Lengend, a former tow-truck driver who has been jailed since his arrest in early January, faces up to life in prison if convicted of all charges.
The Queens Village man is accused of setting off on his sick spree by stealing a car from JFK Airport, buying five glass beverage bottles and then filling them up with gasoline at a service station.
Over the next several hours, he allegedly tossed one of the ignited glass containers onto the floor of a Queens deli, and then drove off and hurled other flaming containers at the Imam Al-Khoei Foundation mosque in Jamaica, a private Hillside home that contains a Hindu temple, and two other homes, authorities said.
In most cases, the fire bombs did minimal damage, but one of the private homes was substantially damaged, authorities said,
Lengend — who also is known as Suraj Poonai — “admitted that he had planned to inflict as much damage as possible and take out as many Muslims and Arabs as possible . . . and made further references to his dislike of Muslims, Arabs and Hindus,” according to Brown’s office.