The fire was set by the unidentified arsonist on the anniversary of the September 11, terrorist attacks, late Sunday night.
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St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Maj.
The fire broke out after the nation marked the 15th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, and investigators found social media posts referencing the anniversary, as well as Facebook posts containing what Thompson called “anti-Islamic propaganda”.
A July post placed on Facebook by Schreiber, who is Jewish, stated that, “IF AMERICA truly wants peace and safety and pursuit of happiness they should consider all forms of ISLAM as radical”.
St. Lucie County Judge Philip Yacucci ordered Schreiber held without bail Thursday, calling him a danger to the community and a flight risk. Yacucci cited Schreiber’s two previous prison stays for theft and said he is a danger to the community and a flight risk. He was charged with arson, a first-degree felony, as well as a hate crime, police said Wednesday; if convicted he could be imprisoned for a minimum 30-year sentence.
And as a “habitual felony offender” whose criminal record includes armed robbery, Schreiber also would be eligible for a possible life term in prison, according to authorities.
The FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the investigation into the fire.
Authorities called the arrest “uneventful” as they picked Schreiber up off side of the street at around 5:15 p.m.
It’s the same mosque where the gunman who shot more than 100 people at an Orlando nightclub occasionally worshipped.
The fire occurred at the Islamic Centre of Fort Pierce late on Sunday (11 September) although there was no one inside the building at the time.
In addition to Mateen, the mosque was also visited by Moner Mohammad Abu Salha, who became the first American to commit a suicide bombing attack in Syria.
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At a news conference announcing an arrest on Wednesday, Sheriff’s Major David Thompson said Mr. Schreiber owns a motorcycle like the one seen in the video. It took about 4.5 hours for firefighters to extinguish the blaze. We never hear any stupid things coming out from anybody. After the incident, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said the U.S. was being threatened by what he called radical Islam.
