New Details on Arson at Scripps Station

We wanted to give you a follow up to a story that FTVLive first told you about.A newly filed federal search warrant in Utah is shedding light on a possible co-conspirator and a starkly anti-establishment motive in the attempted September arson of a news vehicle belonging to KSTU Fox 13, the Scripps-owned station in Salt Lake City.

Christopher Proctor, a self-described anarchist, was charged last month with attempted arson and possessing an unregistered destructive device in connection with the September 12 incident. According to the criminal complaint, Proctor allegedly placed a “plastic gas can with a lit multi-foot-long fuse” beneath a KSTU news truck. The fuse thankfully “self-terminated” before igniting the gasoline.

Authorities were able to connect Proctor to the scene using DNA recovered from the gas can. Further investigation into his Amazon account revealed purchases of black tactical gear and a fuse. A subsequent search of his residence on September 20 uncovered items matching the attire of the would-be arsonist seen on surveillance footage.

According to FBI documents, Proctor told a family member two days before purchasing the items that he was “an anarchist to the bone” and “honestly, I just want to burn it all down... I’d join [riots] starting today.”

Days before the incident, Proctor, a local band singer, stated in a music magazine podcast that his latest album was about “the destruction of the world, the country” and that his band was “very political, we’re very woke, we’re woke as f**k…there’s got to be a revolution starting somewhere.”

The unsealed search warrant also details a communication from Proctor to an unnamed individual two days before the attack, stating, “If you really wanna do this with me, I am 1000% serious and planning in doing recon stuff, and I definitely need help if you’re willing.”

The affidavit further states that Proctor admitted the attempted arson to a friend. Investigators also noted that a week after the failed attempt, Proctor received a new fuse in the mail, and his vehicle was observed driving past the Fox 13 building multiple times.

Proctor was arrested on September 29th and has been ordered detained pending trial, with a federal judge citing evidence of a plan to repeat the attempt.