A 19-year-old accused of setting fire to a historic Mississippi synagogue pleaded not guilty to arson charges on Tuesday.
Stephen Spencer Pittman was accused of setting fire to the Beth Israel Congregation around 3 a.m. on Jan. 10, badly damaging the structure but leaving no casualties. Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac denied the suspect bond and requested that the U.S. Marshals Service hold him in its detention for the duration of the trial. She agreed with prosecutor Matthew Wade Allen, who argued there was a serious risk Pittman could threaten, harm, or intimidate jurors or witnesses, including his parents and members of the Beth Israel Congregation.
If convicted, Pittman faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for the federal charges, while the state charges hold five to 60 years in prison, enhanced with a hate crime charge.
Pittman appeared in court with burn injuries to his hands and ankles, allegedly from the arson. His father turned him in after the teenager allegedly confessed to the crime when confronted over the burns.
Pittman’s social media posts were largely apolitical. FBI Special Agent Ariel Williams testified that he returned from winter break acting hostile toward his family and made repeated antisemitic remarks.
The fire rendered the Beth Israel Congregation inoperable for an extended period. It had previously been bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 over its involvement in the civil rights movement. Congregants have since gathered in buildings loaned by other religious organizations.
WHO RADICALIZED THE MISSISSIPPI SYNAGOGUE ARSONIST?
The case has drawn interest over the apparent apolitical nature of Pittman previously and his alleged radicalization online. His alleged use of terms such as “Synagogue of Satan” implies radicalization along Christian religious grounds from certain spheres of the online Right.
The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jackson Police Department, and the Jackson Fire Department are all participating in the investigation.