Authorities have identified Stephen Spencer Pittman as the man accused of setting fire to a historic synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi. 19-year-old Pittman from Madison, Mississippi, was charged on Monday with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive.The fire broke out shortly after 3 am on Saturday at the Beth Israel Congregation, the largest and only synagogue in Mississippi’s capital. No congregants or firefighters were injured, but the blaze heavily damaged the building’s library and administrative offices, and several scrolls were destroyed or damaged.According to an FBI affidavit filed in US District Court in Mississippi, Pittman admitted to setting the fire because of the synagogue’s “Jewish ties.”
During questioning, he referred to the building as the “synagogue of Satan,” law enforcement said.Security camera footage released by the synagogue showed a masked and hooded person using a gas can to pour liquid on the floor and a couch in the lobby before the blaze started. Pittman told investigators he had stopped at a gas station on the way and purchased the gasoline used in the fire. He also removed his vehicle’s licence plate.
The suspect’s father alerted authorities after receiving a message from his son, and a burned cell phone believed to belong to Pittman was recovered by the FBI. A hand torch found at the scene was also turned over to investigators.Beth Israel Congregation was founded in 1860 and steeped in civil rights history. It was previously bombed by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a white supremacist group, in 1967. Community leaders condemned the latest attack, and the synagogue’s president pledged to rebuild with support from local churches.Mayor John Horhn of Jackson called the arson a threat to community safety and religious freedom. The suspect was treated for non‑life‑threatening burns and, once medically cleared, is expected to face further legal proceedings.
