Police make an arrest in synagogue fire
Incident not believed to be a hate crime, officials say.
Police in Minnesota said Sunday that they had a man in custody on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the fire that destroyed a Duluth synagogue last week. But police said they had not found evidence to suggest that the crime was motivated by hatred or bias.
The fire, reported on Sept. 9, tore through the 118-yearold Adas Israel Congregation synagogue near downtown Duluth. One firefighter was injured while combating the fire, which largely destroyed the building.
Police identified the suspect as Matthew J. Amiot, 36, a Duluth resident with an arrest record and no permanent address. He was being held without bail Sunday, awaiting an initial court appearance.
The fire attracted wide attention in part because it came at a time when anti-Semitic crimes and rhetoric have been on the rise nationally.
“We are terrified: This isn’t the first attack against Jews recently,” said Sarah Rose, a journalist and author whose family helped found Adas Israel and who said she had visited the synagogue frequently as a child. “This is an act of intention, if not of bias, and we have every reason to believe there will be more.”
The fire brought outpourings of sympathy from across the country and beyond. Duluth firefighters, one of whom sustained a concussion, rushed to save Torahs and other religious objects from the lower sanctuary while smoke was still pouring out of the building.
“It was just amazing what they did,” said Phillip Sher, a leader of the congregation. “The bravery of these men was just incredible.”
Adas Israel Congregation has been a hub for northeastern Minnesota’s small Jewish community for well over a century. Founded by Lithuanian immigrants in 1885, the congregation began building its synagogue in 1901. Sher said that the suspect, Amiot, had no known links to the congregation, which he estimated to have under 60 members.
“We’re not out for vengeance,” Sher said. “All I can find out of this event is sadness.” He said the congregation would hold services in various temporary locations over the next few weeks while it looked for a longer-term home.
At a news conference Sunday announcing the arrest, officials said investigators had gone door to door at nearby apartments to seek witnesses, and had reviewed hours of surveillance video.
The fire started in a sukkah, a temporary structure erected outside the synagogue each year for the Sukkot celebration, and the flames quickly spread to the synagogue. Police officers and firefighters arrived within a few minutes, they said, but by then the blaze was already spreading through the wood-frame building.
Prosecutors had not filed formal charges against Amiot as of Sunday.
“At this moment in time, there is no reason to believe this is a bias or hate crime,” said police Chief Mike Tusken.