19-year-old arrested in alleged arson at Jackson synagogue

People reports Stephen Spencer Pittman, 19, of Madison, was taken into custody Saturday evening, Jan. 10, in connection with an alleged arson at Beth Israel Congregation and the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, the United States Department of Justice said in a Jan.

12 press release. The DOJ said Pittman is accused of using gasoline to set the fire, causing extensive damage that rendered a significant portion of the building unusable; CCTV footage showed a person in a hooded top pouring liquid from what appeared to be a gasoline container. Beth Israel Congregation, founded in 1860 and at its present location since 1967, was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on Sept.

18 of that year. Citing an FBI affidavit, ABC 7 NY reported the suspect allegedly laughed about the attack, telling his father "he finally got them" and referring to the place of worship as the "synagogue of Satan," and ABC 7 NY and CNN reported he told investigators he set the fire because it had "Jewish ties." Pittman sustained burns and transported himself to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries before being taken into custody, the office of Mississippi Gov.

Key Topics

World, Stephen Spencer Pittman, Beth Israel Congregation, Goldring Woldenberg Institute, Jackson Mississippi, Ku Klux Klan