Crime, Law and Justice

Federal jury convicts man in attempted firebombing of ice cream shop

hole in glass from molotov cocktail
A photo included in a court filing shows the result of the first of two Molotov cocktail attacks on Fletcher's Ice Cream and Cafe in Minneapolis on Oct. 19, 2025.
Courtesy of Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office

A federal jury today on Wednesday convicted a Fridley man of trying to firebomb a Minneapolis ice cream shop last year.

Jurors found Firomsa A. Umar guilty of arson and explosives crimes after determining that he threw Molotov cocktails at Fletcher's Ice Cream and Cafe late on Oct. 19, 2025 and again the next afternoon.

In the first incident, Umar broke a window and started a small fire. The device that he threw on Oct. 20 failed to ignite but damaged another part of the window.

Fletcher's displays a large Pride flag above its entrance. In a separate decision, jurors found that Umar targeted the business based on “actual or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation,” making him eligible for a lengthier sentence. The arson counts on which Umar stands convicted carry a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years.

Police arrested Umar after the second attack and found a gas can, lighter, and bottle in his vehicle.

Umar, 31, remains jailed pending sentencing.