One person was in custody late Saturday after a fire tore through a synagogue in Mississippi, severely damaging the historic house of worship in what authorities say was an act of arson.
No one was injured in the fire that broke out at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi, shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday, officials said. The photos showed the charred remains of an administrative office and a synagogue library, where many Torah books had been destroyed or destroyed.
Jackson Mayor John Horne confirmed that one person had been taken into custody after an investigation that also included the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
“Actions of anti-Semitism, racism and religious hatred are attacks on Jackson as a whole and will be treated as acts of terrorism against the safety of residents and freedom of worship,” Horn said in a statement.
He did not mention the name of the suspect or the charges the person faces.
The synagogue, the largest in Mississippi, was the site of a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967 — a response to the group’s role in civil rights activities, according to Southern Jewish Life Institutewhich also houses his 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 help us get through this,” the institute said in a statement. statement.
Synagogue President Zach Schember said congregants were still assessing damage and had received calls from other houses of worship, according to Mississippi Today.
The outlet reported that one of the Torahs that survived the Holocaust was not damaged in the fire.