Mississippi Teen Charged Following Arson Attack on Historic Jackson Synagogue

A suspect in the arson fire at a historic Mississippi synagogue has been charged after allegedly admitting he targeted the institution because of its “Jewish ties,” according to the FBI.Stephen Spencer Pittman, 19, was charged Monday with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive. The charges stem from a blaze that ripped through the Beth Israel Congregation shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday.While no congregants or firefighters were injured, the fire caused significant damage to the 160-year-old synagogue, which is the largest in Mississippi and the only one in the state’s capital.According to an affidavit filed in federal court, the investigation advanced quickly after Mr. Pittman’s father contacted the FBI, stating his son had confessed to setting the building on fire. The father reportedly became suspicious after observing burn marks on his son’s ankles, hands, and face.The affidavit details a series of text messages Mr. Pittman sent his father before the incident, including a photo of the rear of the synagogue. “There’s a furnace in the back,” Mr. Pittman wrote, adding, “BTW, my plate is off,” “Hoodie is on,” and “And they have the best cameras.”When his father pleaded with him to return home, “Pittman replied back by saying he was due for a homerun and ‘I did my research,’” the affidavit states.During an interview with investigators on the evening of January 10, Mr. Pittman admitted to stopping at a gas station to purchase the fuel used in the attack and removing his license plate. He confessed to breaking a window with an ax, pouring gas inside, and using a torch lighter to ignite it.“Pittman laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them,” an agent wrote in the affidavit. Mr. Pittman also allegedly referred to the congregation as a “synagogue of Satan.”Security camera footage released by the synagogue showed a masked and hooded individual pouring liquid on the floor and a couch in the building’s lobby. The FBI later recovered a burned cell phone believed to be Mr. Pittman’s and took possession of a hand torch found at the scene by a congregant.The Beth Israel Congregation has a history of being targeted for its activism. In 1967, the synagogue was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in response to the congregation’s involvement in civil rights activities.

Mississippi Teen Charged Following Arson Attack on Historic Jackson Synagogue

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