The Philadelphia Fire Department completed its investigation yesterday into last week's alleged firebomb attack on the office of Republican mayoral candidate Sam Katz.
The confidential report, which details the origin and cause of the incident, was then passed on to the Central Detective Division at the Philadelphia Police Department for further investigation.
Police Officer Maria Ibrahim said that "the investigation is still ongoing," but could provide no further details.
This report came on the heels of an abbreviated investigation last week by Philadelphia Police. The findings of that inquiry -- which were inconclusive and identified no suspects -- were returned to police by the District Attorney's office for a more complete investigation.
However, that initial report, released last Friday, did find that a brick was thrown through the window of Katz's North Philadelphia campaign office, located on the 1700 block of 22nd Street near Cecil B. Moore Avenue. A gasoline-soaked rag, which was unlit, was found at the scene, it concluded.
But Fire Commissioner Harold Hairston said last Wednesday that "it is impossible to conclude at this time that a firebomb was involved in this incident. There was no evidence of a fire," and the characteristic components of a firebomb were not all discovered at the scene.
Since then, other events have come to light, including the fact that Mayor John Street's son and a campaign worker were seen near Katz's office earlier on the night of the incident.
But Street campaign spokesman Dan Fee said that Sharif Street was in the neighborhood looking for office space for his father's campaign, and that Tumar Alexander, the other official who was seen in the area, had nothing to do with the incident.
"Neither Sharif nor Tumar had anything to do with this," Fee said. "What we have right now is a series of allegations. There is not a shred of evidence one way or the other."
Fee said he questioned whether an attack had even taken place, saying that it was unclear exactly what had broken the window.
Deputy Press Secretary for the Katz campaign Nathan Raab said that he has "full confidence in the police investigation," but did not speculate as to what it will ultimately find.
Regardless, the incident has had no effect on the Katz campaign, he noted.
"This does not change our efforts to reach voters in North Philadelphia or across the city," Raab said.
In a written statement last week, Street strongly condemned the attack.
"I insist that everyone in my campaign avoid unnecessary conflict with our opponents at all cost," he wrote. "Anyone found to have in any way provoked or precipitated in any confrontation will be immediately removed from my campaign."
