The FBI has released a sketch of a potential witness in last month’s arson fire at a Marietta abortion clinic, which is under investigation as a possible domestic terrorism incident.
Investigators hope to generate more leads with the drawing, as well as surveillance photos already released to the media of the same man and a vehicle he was seen driving in the area around the time of the May 23 fire.
The clinic that someone tried to burn down, Alpha Group GYN on Powers Ferry Road in Marietta, is well known for providing abortion services and counseling. The sidewalk outside of the building is the site of frequent anti-abortion protests.
The clinic was open during the mid-morning incident. Employees said they saw two men who went up the stairs to the third floor and then descend them in a rush shortly before a fire started on that floor.
Authorities have identified the potential witness as a black man seen in the vicinity talking on a cell phone at the time of the fire. He is described as approximately 5-feet-10-inches to 6-feet-1-inch tall, wearing a blue polo shirt with an emblem on the chest and khaki pants.
A gray Mercury Marquis with tinted windows and large chrome wheels was also in the area, according to the FBI.
The FBI is also investigating another suspected arson that occurred three days earlier on May 20 at an obstetrician's office on Pleasant Hill Road in Gwinnett County.
Since January, there have also been three after-hours break-ins at obstetrics and gynecology offices in unincorporated Lilburn, Sandy Springs and unincorporated Suwanee. The intruders stole computer equipment.
Police and federal agents from both the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives working together to determine whether the burglaries and arsons are related.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI Atlanta Field Office at 404-679-9000.
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