The Indian consulate in San Francisco was set on fire over the weekend, according to videos posted on social media.
Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, condemned the incident.
"The U.S. strongly condemns the reported vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Saturday," Miller said in a tweet. "Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the U.S. is a criminal offense."
Firefighters responded to the 500 block of Arguello Boulevard at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Capt. Jonathan Baxter of the San Francisco Fire Department told Newsweek.
A small amount of trash was on fire, Baxter said, and there was no damage to any structure.
"SFFD personnel were on scene and extinguished the fire. There have been no arrests at this time," he added.
News reports in India said video footage of the attack was released by supporters of an independent Sikh state.
#Khalistani extremists set Indian Consulate on fire in #SanFrancisco. The fire was suppressed quickly by the San Francisco Fire Department. No major damages or staffers were harmed. pic.twitter.com/wtdeKz1AWj
— Smriti Sharma (@SmritiSharma_) July 4, 2023
Manjinder Singh Sirsa, an Indian politician, described the incident as a terror attack.
"I strongly condemn the incident of Indian Consulate being set on fire in #SanFrancisco, United States on July 2nd," he tweeted.
"Govt of India has always stood with Sikhs whenever they are in trouble in any part of the world. I urge Sikhs all over the world to unite against such terror activities sponsored by ISI," he said.
Newsweek has contacted the consulate for comment.
Supporters of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan, also vandalized the Indian Consulate in San Francisco in March, according to reports.
That incident came as Indian police hunted Amritpal Singh, a separatist leader whose calls for an independent Sikh homeland have revived memories of a bloody insurgency in the north Indian state of Punjab in the 1980s.
Singh was arrested in April in Moga, a town in Punjab, after a month-long manhunt.
Police officer Sukhchain Singh Gill said police had surrounded Moga on intelligence that Singh was in a shrine.
"Relentless pressure built by the police over the past 35 days left Singh with no choice [but to surrender]," Gill told reporters, according to The Associated Press.
In 2022 Singh began leading marches in Punjab calling for the protection of the rights of Sikhs, a religious minority in India who account for about 1.7 percent of the country's population and say they are discriminated against by the majority Hindus.
He captured national attention in February after hundreds of his supporters stormed a police station in Punjab with swords and guns to demand the release of a jailed aide.
He claims to draw inspiration from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh militant leader accused by the Indian government of leading an armed insurgency for Khalistan. Bhindranwale was killed in 1984 when the Indian army stormed the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion.
Update 7/4/23, 4:18 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with background information.
Update 7/4/23, 9:48 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the San Francisco Fire Department.
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