After a short manhunt, the suspect charged with setting the largest synagogue in Mississippi on fire has been identified.
After the crime, the DOJ had shared these photos of the suspect on security cameras, as well as the aftermath.
Turns out, the suspect is a 19-year-old Catholic school kid from a good family (and an honor roll student) named Stephen Spencer Pittman.
His X account is full of workout videos and uplifting Bible verses:
It even seemed like he had a promising baseball career ahead of him:
So ... what happened to this guy?
According to court docs, he snuck into the Beth Israel Congregation in the middle of the night, poured gasoline everywhere, and used a torch lighter to ignite the flame.
Court docs even shared texts which he sent to his dad, giving him a play-by-play of what he was doing. His dad allegedly pleaded with him to come home.
The only real clue we have from the court documents is that he referred to the synagogue as a "Synagogue of Satan," which is a biblical reference from Christ in the Book of Revelation that has been appropriated by the online antisemites (groypers and the like).
How does a clean-cut, privileged, Christian kid with a bright future ahead of him get radicalized into becoming a domestic terrorist?
He's now facing 20 years in jail.
Online radicalization is real. Talk to your kids, parents.
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