California Kimberly-Clark warehouse arsonist issues courtroom plea

The disgruntled worker accused of setting a massive fire at an Ontario, California warehouse where he worked smirked as he pleaded not guilty at his first courtroom appearance Monday.

Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, made the stunning plea to seven arson charges that carry a possible life sentence, after allegedly filming himself sparking the blaze that destroyed $500 million worth of property and goods.

The Highland resident also faces an additional federal charge for arson of a building used in interstate and foreign commerce.  

Abdulkarim smiled as he entered the courtroom in San Bernardino County Superior Court and threw his shoulders back as he sat in the jury box with his attorney.

He wore an orange prison uniform, glasses and shackles as he stood before the judge and issued his plea.

Abdulkarim is being held without bail at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. He is next due in court on May 6.

For the federal charges, prosecutors described Abdulkarim as a radical leftist who set the fire as a political statement and alleged that he compared himself to alleged corporate health care assassin Luigi Mangione after setting the blaze.

Abdulkarim likened himself to Mangione in a call he made to a woman he knew after the fire, according to federal charging documents.

Abdulkarim allegedly said “a lot of people are going to understand” what he did and compared the massive arson to when “Luigi popped that motherf–ker.”

He also said the warehouse company “had it coming” and added, “I just cost the motherf–kers billions.”

“This is part of the concerning trend we’re seeing, particularly with younger people who are being radicalized by left-wing ideology,” LA’s top federal prosecutor, US Attorney Bill Essayli, told the California Post last week.

Prosecutors say a video Abdulkarim allegedly posted to social media that shows the alleged arsonist setting the blaze underscores his motive for sparking the inferno.

In the viral clip Abdulkarim can be heard chanting, “All you had to do was pay us enough to live.”

Abdulkarim was arrested by police Tuesday near the Kimberly-Clark warehouse while the massive fire still raged.

About 20 employees, including Abdulkarim, were inside the building when the fire broke out, according to cops. He was initially missing but was quickly picked up by police.

Prosecutors say the cost of the fire is estimated at $500 million, including the value of the goods inside the warehouse and the building itself. The structure alone was estimated to be worth around $152 million.

It took 175 firefighters to extinguish the blaze. Miraculously, no one was hurt.

Before Abdulkarim allegedly torched the warehouse, he had complained about not being paid for lost break time while working as an hourly employee for an aviation services company, according to court documents.

In 2024, he filed a class-action lawsuit against PrimeFlight, which provides “air carriers and airports with a wide range of aircraft, passenger and security services,” according to the company’s web site.

The alleged arsonist sought payment for the breaks he claimed he and other workers missed that were mandated by state law.

The case was dismissed in January of last year.

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