A Florida man arrested for allegedly setting fire to a mosque attended by the Orlando nightclub shooter was denied bail during a court appearance made during via video conference from the St. Lucie County Jail where the suspect is being held.
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A Florida man who investigators say posted anti-Islamic material on social media was arrested on Wednesday on charges of setting fire to a mosque attended by the gunman who committed the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, police said.
“A search warrant was obtained and a search of Schreiber’s house was conducted that revealed Schreiber owns a motorcycle consistent with the surveillance video footage”, Thompson said.
Law enforcement officials say Schreiber has a criminal record, and about two months ago, he posted on his Facebook that “All Islam is radical” and that all Muslims should considered terrorists and criminals.
He was arrested without incident Wednesday and charged with second-degree arson with a hate crime enhancement, a crime that carries a maximum 30-year sentence. Thompson said detectives were still questioning Schreiber on Wednesday evening, and he didn’t say if Schreiber had a lawyer. Federal authorities are still deciding if Schreiber will also face federal hate crime charges.
Thompson said his office received several tips leading to Schreiber as the suspect and they were able to supplement that evidence with other security video in the area.
“During a post on Schreiber’s page dated July 12, he makes reference to “all forms of Islam as radical”, an investigator wrote”.
(Florida Department of Corrections via AP).
Lucie man accused of causing more than $100,000 of damage while trying to burn down a Fort Pierce mosque told detectives he is embarrassed about the crime, according to a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s arrest report. He professed allegiance to the Islamic State group.
No one was injured.
The fire was set late Sunday on the 15th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations Florida (CAIR-Florida), responded to social media posts by Schreiber claiming to be a Jew who was “fighting back”. He was picked up by police while walking in Port St. Lucie.
An arrest affidavit posted online by the St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office noted that Schreiber’s Facebook page included “posts related to pro-Israel propaganda and numerous posts related to negative propaganda related to Muslims”.
“I guess he didn’t know where else to go”, Benson said, adding that Schreiber’s parents are “shocked, just like any of us would be if it were our child”.
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“They were passing by throwing flowers on us”, he said.
