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Breaking News / Re: Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 1/12
« Last post by SVPete on January 12, 2026, 02:48:33 PM »FBI: Suspect in Mississippi synagogue fire targeted house of worship because of its ‘Jewish ties’
https://srnnews.com/hub-of-jewish-life-in-mississippis-capital-city-damaged-by-arson-attack/
FWIW, "the synagogue of Satan" is a phrase from the New Testament book of Revelation. It is likely, though I don't visit such places to have seen it, that the phrase has been used in Stormfront-grade antisemitic sites and publications.
https://srnnews.com/hub-of-jewish-life-in-mississippis-capital-city-damaged-by-arson-attack/
Quote
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A suspect in an arson fire at a historic Mississippi synagogue admitted to targeting the house of worship because of its “Jewish ties” and was turned in to authorities by his father who had observed burn marks on his son’s ankles, hands and face, the FBI said Monday.
Stephen Pittman was charged with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive. The suspect confessed to lighting a fire inside the building, which he referred to as “the synagogue of Satan,” according to an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Mississippi on Monday.
There was no attorney listed for Pittman in the court docket Monday.
...
The suspect’s father contacted the FBI and said that his son had confessed to setting the building on fire. Pittman had texted his father a photo of the rear of the synagogue before the fire, with the message, “There’s a furnace in the back.” His father had pleaded with his son to return home, but “Pittman replied back by saying he was due for a homerun and ‘I did my research,’” the affidavit said.
During an interview with investigators, Pittman said he stopped at a gas station on his way to the synagogue to purchase the gas used in the fire. He also took the license plate off of his vehicle at the gas station. He used an ax to break out a window of the synagogue, poured gas inside and used a torch lighter to start the fire, the FBI affidavit said.
The FBI later recovered a burned cell phone believed to be Pittman’s and took possession of a hand torch that a congregant had found.
FWIW, "the synagogue of Satan" is a phrase from the New Testament book of Revelation. It is likely, though I don't visit such places to have seen it, that the phrase has been used in Stormfront-grade antisemitic sites and publications.
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