CARMEL VALLEY — The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced June 2 that a Ramey warrant has been issued and served for 36-year-old Fiona GuoGuo Lu of Mountain View in connection with the investigation of the March 27 fire at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, located at 39171 Tassajara Rd. in Carmel Valley.
This is the oldest Japanese Buddhist Soto Zen monastery in the U.S.
Deputies with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office began investigating this incident and were able to locate public online statements connecting Lu to the fire and making threats of future violence directed towards Buddhist temples in California.
Lu is currently incarcerated at the Napa County Jail for unrelated charges. She is awaiting extradition to Monterey County. At this time, there is no reason to believe she is an ongoing threat to the public.
Sheriff Tina Nieto stated, “The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to protecting every member of our community and ensuring that all people can safely practice their faith without fear of violence, intimidation, or threats. We take allegations involving crimes motivated by bias or hatred very seriously and will continue to work diligently to investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable under the law.”
The Sheriff’s Office is grateful to staff and faculty at the Tassajara Zen Center who acted quickly during the fire. Their bravery, diligence, observations, and continued cooperation throughout this investigation helped protect lives, preserve important information, and move the investigation forward.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is also grateful to the fire personnel who responded under difficult conditions. Emergency response in Monterey County is never simple, especially in areas where access, distance, and limited communications create real challenges. Their prompt response prevented a much larger fire incident from occurring in an area that is easily susceptible to fires.
Lu is facing charges of terrorizing by destructive device, explosive, or arson; arson; criminal threats; and felony hate crime. Her bail is set at $130,000.
Because this remains an active investigation, the Sheriff’s Office is not releasing additional details at this time and is asking the public for help. Anyone with information about the fire, the related social media posts, or threats directed toward Buddhist religious institutions is asked to contact Deputy Aly Najem or Deputy Kyle Massa at (831) 755-5111. You may also submit an anonymous tip by going to mcso.countyofmonterey.gov and selecting the “Submit a Tip” tab.
For updates on the Zendo fire and links to make donations, go to: www.sfzc.org/locations/tassajara