A person was taken into custody late Saturday after a fire ripped through a synagogue in Mississippi, heavily damaging the historic house of worship in what authorities say was an act of arson.
No congregants were injured in the blaze, which broke out at the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday. Photos showed the charred remains of an administrative office and synagogue library, where several Torahs were destroyed or damaged.
Jackson Mayor John Horhn confirmed that a person was taken into custody following an investigation that also included the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
“Acts of antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred are attacks on Jackson as a whole and will be treated as acts of terror against residents’ safety and freedom to worship,” Horhn said in a statement.
The specific identity of the suspect and the charges they face have not yet been disclosed.
The synagogue, the largest in Mississippi, was previously the target of a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967 due to its involvement in civil rights activities, as noted by the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, which also has its office in the building.
“As Jackson’s only synagogue, Beth Israel is a beloved institution, and it is the fellowship of our neighbors and extended community that will see us through,” the institute stated.
The synagogue’s president, Zach Shemper, mentioned that the congregation is still assessing the damage, emphasizing the outreach from other houses of worship. Notably, one Torah, which survived the Holocaust, was reported to be unharmed in the fire.
