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The FBI on Monday identified the suspect in Saturday's fire at the Beth Israel Congregation Synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi, as Stephen Spencer Pittman. Pittman confessed to setting the synagogue on fire owing to its “Jewish ties,” the FBI said.
A sign describing when the synagogue was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 stands outside the Beth Israel Congregation on Monday, Jan. 12. (AP)The Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed in an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court in Mississippi that Pittman admitted to targeting the synagogue over its Jewish ties. He reportedly referred to the synagogue as the “synagogue of Satan.”
The fire took place Saturday, January 10, shortly after 3 a.m. No congregants were present at the building. Pittman was seen in a mask and wearing a hoodie in the CCTV footage from the night of the incident. The footage showed the suspect pouring inflammable liquid in the building's lobby.
What FBI Said About Stephen Spencer Pittman's MotiveThe FBI said in the court filing that Stephen Spencer Pittman admitted to setting fire to the synagogue in interviews with law enforcement officers. He said that he stopped at a gas station, purchased gas, and used it to set the synagogue on fire.
Also read: Who is Stephen Spencer Pittman? Jackson Mississippi synagogue fire suspect identified
He also said that he took off his license plates before the incident. Pittman further admitted to using an axe to break a window and pour gas inside the building. He used a lighter to start the fire.
Beth Israel Congregation is located on Old Canton Road in Jackson, Mississippi. The building was famously bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 over the rabbi's support for the Civil Rights movement.