College students arrested for accessing Statehouse roof

BOSTON -- Two Boston College seniors face trespassing and vandalism charges for going to the roof of the Statehouse, where they apparently snapped photographs of the city.

Francisco Martin, 21, of Cincinnati, and Mehdi Akbar Hashambhoy, 21, of Morocco, were arrested Thursday afternoon, State Police Sgt. Tim Reardon said. They were expected to appear in court Friday.

Boston College spokesman Jack Dunn called the incident a misunderstanding.

"They were two seniors who are leaving the area upon graduation," he said. "They were simply trying to take pictures from atop the Statehouse."

It wasn't immediately known if they accessed the roof from a door or a window, or whether they had to use force, Reardon said. Many Statehouse windows were open Thursday, with temperatures in the 80s.

State Police and park rangers searched the area Thursday and found no immediate threats.

"It's students who used poor judgment for what was an innocent activity," Dunn said.

Dunn said the men may face disciplinary sanctions "that would likely involve doing community service prior to graduation." They are getting degrees from BC's business school this month, Dunn said.

It wasn't known if the men had attorneys, Dunn said.

Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney's office, said he had no immediate information on the arraignment.

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