White supremacist Ku Klux Klan torched an 1860-era synagogue in 1967. According to federal and local police, a 19-year-old Mississippi man showed up in court on Monday to face accusations related to an alleged arson attack on a synagogue. In 1967, amid turbulent and racially charged times in the American Deep South, the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan bombed this identical synagogue, whose membership dates back to 1860.
Only one suspect
Stephen Spencer Pittman was named by federal authorities as the only suspect in the early-morning Saturday attack on the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, the state capital. According to allegations from the US Department of Justice and the governor’s office, Pittman used gasoline to set the synagogue on fire, seriously damaging administrative and library spaces.
He sustained burns to various regions of his body throughout the act, according to the DOJ. There were no further recorded injuries.US Attorney General Pam Bondi declared, “This abhorrent act of anti-Semitic violence has no place in our country.”I’ve instructed my prosecutors to pursue harsh punishments for this horrible deed, and I’m still devoted to shielding Jewish Americans from bigotry,” she continued. According to the governor’s office, Pittman was accused of arson.
According to the governor’s office, he was arrested after presenting to the University of Mississippi Medical Center with non-life-threatening burns.
