Overview
- The FBI identified the suspect as Stephen Spencer Pittman, 19, and charged him with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive.
- According to the affidavit, Pittman confessed to targeting Beth Israel Congregation and referred to it as the “synagogue of Satan” in an interview with the Jackson Fire Department.
- Beth Israel, Jackson’s only synagogue and home to the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, sustained severe damage with two Torah scrolls destroyed and five damaged; a Holocaust-surviving Torah in a glass case was unharmed.
- Security footage reported by local media appears to show an individual pouring an accelerant inside the building shortly before the blaze.
- Authorities have not indicated whether Pittman acted alone, and Jewish security leaders are urging vigilance while the investigation continues.