Arrest made in arson at Florida mosque
where gunman prayed
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[September 15, 2016]
By Steve Gorman
(Reuters) - 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 U.S. history, police
said.
The case is being prosecuted as a hate crime under Florida law, and the
suspect, Joseph Michael Schreiber, 32, faces at least 30 years in prison
if convicted of committing Monday's arson attack, according to the St.
Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
Schreiber is accused of starting the blaze that heavily damaged the
Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, a place of worship for gunman Omar Mateen
before he shot 49 people to death and wounded 53 others at a gay
nightclub in June.
Mateen himself was killed by law enforcement officers at the end of the
shooting in Orlando, about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of the Atlantic
coast town of Fort Pierce.
Fire erupted at the mosque at about 12:30 a.m. EDT on Monday, coinciding
with one of the holiest of Muslim holidays, Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of
Sacrifice, and authorities immediately branded it an arson attack.
No one was inside the building at the time, but the blaze forced the
congregation to hold prayer services elsewhere.
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The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office told reporters afterward that
surveillance video showed a man riding up to the building on a
motorcycle, getting off the bike and approaching the mosque with a
bottle of liquid and papers moments before flames erupted.
At a news conference announcing an arrest on Wednesday, Sheriff's Major
David Thompson said Schreiber owns a motorcycle like the one seen in the
video. Thompson said tips from the public led investigators to the
suspect and his home in nearby Port St. Lucie, where a search turned up
additional evidence tying him to the crime.
An examination of Schreiber's social media account also uncovered
"multiple anti-Islamic posts and comments," Thompson said. He did not
elaborate.
But a Facebook page apparently belonging to the suspect - established
under his name with photos resembling his booking photo - include a
message posted on July 12 that said "ALL ISLAM IS RADICAL, and should be
considered TERRORIST AND CRIMANALS" written in capital letters with
several mispellings.
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![](../images/091516pics/news_d7.jpg)
Emergency personnel are seen at the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce
which was set on fire, in Fort Pierce, Florida, September 12, 2016.
St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office/Handout via Reuters
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Schreiber was arrested without incident on Wednesday while walking
along a sidewalk in Fort Pierce, Thompson said.
Schreiber, who was being held without bond, was still being
questioned by police following his arrest. He was expected to make
his first court appearance on Thursday. It was not clear if he had
obtained legal representation.
He has been charged with arson, and his status as a "prison release
re-offender" qualifies him for a mandatory minimum prison sentence
of 30 years if convicted. And as a "habitual felony offender" whose
criminal record includes armed robbery, Schreiber also would be
eligible for a life term, police said.
Federal authorities are also investigating the fire for any
potential violations of federal law, U.S. officials said.
The Fort Pierce Islamic Center has reported numerous threats of
violence and intimidation since it was identified publicly as
Mateen's place of worship. In June a motorcycle gang circled the
property and shouted at its members, and in July a Muslim man was
beaten outside the mosque.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Chris Reese,
Bernard Orr, Bill Rigby and Simon Cameron-Moore)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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