The FBI said Monday that a suspect in the arson fire at a Mississippi synagogue admitted to targeting the institution because of its ‘Jewish ties.’ Stephen Spencer Pittman was charged Monday with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive, the FBI said in an affidavit. The weekend fire ripped through the Beth Israel Congregation shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday. No congregants or firefighters were injured in the blaze. Security camera footage released Monday by the synagogue showed a masked and hooded person using a gas can to pour a liquid on the floor and a couch in the building’s lobby.
