Duluth Man Arrested in Connection With Fire at Synagogue in Minnesota
Nabbed
A man is in custody in connection with a fire that destroyed a synagogue in Duluth, Minnesota, last week, on suspicion of first-degree arson, police said. The police said that there has been no evidence so far to suggest that the crime was motivated by hatred or bias. The police identified the suspect as Matthew J. Amiot, 36, a Duluth resident who was being held without bail on Sunday, awaiting an initial court appearance. The fire tore through the 118-year-old Adas Israel Congregation synagogue on Sept. 9, injuring one firefighter and mostly destroying the building. “We are terrified: This isn’t the first attack against Jews recently,” Sarah Rose, a journalist and author whose family helped found Adas Israel, told the New York Times. “This is an act of intention, if not of bias, and we have every reason to believe there will be more.”