A person was taken into custody late Saturday after a fire engulfed a synagogue in Mississippi, causing significant damage to the historic house of worship in what authorities are calling an act of arson. No injuries were reported.
The blaze broke out at the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi, shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday. Photos showed the charred remains of an administrative office and the library, where several Torahs were damaged or destroyed, according to synagogue leaders.
Charles Felton, chief fire investigator with the Jackson Fire Department, confirmed the arrest to Mississippi Today late Saturday but did not release the suspect’s name or charges. Felton said the department determined the fire was arson.
Beth Israel, the largest synagogue in Mississippi, was previously targeted in a 1967 Ku Klux Klan bombing, a retaliation for the congregation’s involvement in civil rights activities, according to the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, which also has an 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 said in a statement.
The synagogue’s president, Zach Shemper, said the congregation was still assessing the damage and had received outreach from other houses of worship, according to Mississippi Today.
One Torah that survived the Holocaust was not damaged in the fire, the outlet reported.
Both the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation, according to Mississippi Today.
Inquiries to Beth Israel and the Jackson Fire Department were not immediately returned.
