The building and its worshippers have faced escalating threats and violence since Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 at the gay nightclub Pulse in June. Joseph Michael Schreiber, 32, will be charged with felony arson with a hate-crime enhancement, CNN reported and could face a 30-year sentence because he had previously been imprisoned for a felony.
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The fire at the Fort Pierce mosque was set on the 15th anniversary of those attacks, and also coincided with the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha.
Detectives say that after his arrest Wednesday, Schreiber admitted setting the fire, said he had no intention of hurting anyone and was embarrassed to have committed the crime.
Records show that Schreiber was twice sentenced to state prison for theft, according to AP – from March 2008 to July 2009 and from June 2010 to August 2014.
The Lucie County Sheriff’s Office told reporters afterward that surveillance video footage showed a man riding up to the building on a motorcycle, getting off the bike and approaching the mosque carrying a bottle of liquid and papers moments before flames erupted. Investigators searched Schreiber’s home for evidence, and culled information from social media that would support a hate crime charge. In addition, Schreiber’s Facebook page includes “multiple anti-Islamic posts and comments”, he said. The first 911 calls were made about 45 minutes later after the fire had spread to the attic. Fire fighters took five hours to extinguish the fire.
The major said tips from callers and surveillance video led to the arrest.
Sheriff’s investigators say a man accused of setting fire to a Florida mosque confessed and said he was embarrassed.
FBI agents said although the suspect is in custody, the investigation is ongoing.
Speaking after the fire on Monday, Ibrahim Hooper, the national spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations said, “Unfortunately, within the past year, we’ve seen an unprecedented rise in bigotry in our society”. “They’re a community feeling under attack. If we could all talk a bit, maybe things like this wouldn’t have to happen”.
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The fire seriously damaged the mosque and it’s not clear if it can be repaired. After the incident, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said the United States was being threatened by what he called radical Islam.
