Suspect arrested after arson of Islamic Center of Fort Pierce - Omar Mateen's mosque

[Yayattasa]

News from Haaretz (it's a journal from Israel, but as the suspect is Jewish they covered it)

Jewish Man Arrested in Arson of Orlando Gunman's Mosque
'If America truly wants peace and safety and pursuit of happiness they should consider all forms of Islam as radical,' Joseph Michael Schreiber had posted on Facebook.

Here's an excerpt (my emphasis in bold).

A 32-year-old Florida man has been arrested and is facing a charge of arson and hate crime in a fire that heavily damaged a mosque that Orlando nightclub gunman Omar Mateen attended, authorities announced Wednesday. Joseph Michael Schreiber was arrested without incident Wednesday afternoon and was being interrogated by investigators looking into the fire set late Sunday at the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said Maj. David Thompson of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.

[...]

He said the arson charge, coupled with a hate crime enhancement under Florida law, carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

[...]

The fire was set late Sunday on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. The blaze also coincided with the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. No one was injured in the blaze, which burned a 10-by-10-foot hole in the roof at the back of the mosque's main building and blackened its eaves with soot.

Thompson said a search warrant was executed at Schreiber's home, where investigators reported finding evidence linked to the arson, as well as anti-Islamic social media posts.

A July post placed on Facebook by Schreiber, who is Jewish, stated that, "IF AMERICA truly wants peace and safety and pursuit of happiness they should consider all forms of ISLAM as radical. ... ALL ISLAM IS RADICAL, and should be considered TERRORIST AND CRIMANALS (sic) and all hoo (sic) participate in such activity should be found guilty of WAR CRIM (sic) until law and order is restored in this beautiful free country."

Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations Florida, said Schreiber "obviously doesn't know about the efforts our community is engaged in with our cousins, the Jews, not only in Florida but throughout the nation."

Omar Saleh, an attorney for CAIR, described both Schreiber and Mateen as "degenerates" and "punks". "Just like on June 12, when I was stressing that Mateen's actions do not speak on behalf of Islam, I know that whatever religion Mr. Schreiber is, his actions do not speak on behalf of his religion," Saleh said.

[...]

A weekend surveillance video from the mosque showed a man on a motorcycle approaching the building with a bottle of liquid and some papers, then leaving when there was a flash and shaking his hand as though he may have burned it, Thompson said. The first 911 calls were made about 45 minutes later after the fire had spread to the attic. It took about four-and-a-half hours for firefighters to extinguish the blaze. No one had claimed responsibility for the attack, authorities said.

The FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the investigation into the fire. Sheriff's officials had released the video and asked for the public's help in identifying the arsonist. Rabbi Bruce Benson, a chaplain with the Port St. Lucie Police Department, was outside Schreiber's home Wednesday night. He said Schreiber attended his synagogue for about a month last spring to study the Torah, but left little impression, and no indication that he might act violently in the future. Benson said Schreiber's father showed up at his office Wednesday afternoon after his son was arrested, even though he wasn't a member of his synagogue.

"I guess he didn't know where else to go," Benson said, adding that Schreiber's parents are "shocked, just like any of us would be if it were our child."

Benson said his reform synagogue, Temple Beth El Israel, has tried unsuccessfully in the past to reach out to the mosque.

"We would welcome the opportunity," Benson said. "They're a community feeling under attack. If we could all talk a bit, maybe things like this wouldn't have to happen."

The fire was part of an escalating series of threats and violence perpetuated against the mosque and its members, Ruiz said. He said the mosque began receiving threatening phone calls shortly after the Pulse massacre. And in July, he said, a member was punched in the face as he arrived for morning prayers.
[...]

I find it intriguing no one calls this what it is: terrorism. Joseph Michael Schreiber is a terrorist. Just because he isn't muslim though he isn't called like that.

His toxic rhetoric has a source. Just read his own words:

"IF AMERICA truly wants peace and safety and pursuit of happiness they should consider all forms of ISLAM as radical. ... ALL ISLAM IS RADICAL, and should be considered TERRORIST AND CRIMANALS (sic) and all hoo (sic) participate in such activity should be found guilty of WAR CRIM (sic) until law and order is restored in this beautiful free country."

Should America ban these ideologies and organizations that led to this radicalization?

[Gäiten]

Tell me which ideologies and organisations.

If this crime is classified as terrorism, this depends on the prosecutor and the investigations.

[Yayattasa]

If this crime is classified as terrorism, this depends on the prosecutor and the investigations.

How is this not terrorism? What separate this attack from other attacks claimed to be carried out by terrorists?

[Yayattasa]

Tell me which ideologies and organisations.

Check his profile in facebook and his likes;

[sumskilz]

Check his profile in facebook and his likes;

Hmm.... so he's a Christian. He seems kind of confused, like posting Israeli nationalist stuff and anti-Zionist Breslover stuff back to back.

[Yayattasa]

Hmm.... so he's a Christian. He seems kind of confused, like posting Israeli nationalist stuff and anti-Zionist Breslover stuff back to back.

Well, he's a Messianic Jew (people tend to differentiate them from Christians), so he must feel a connection to Israel (are them allowed Israeli citizenship?). But yeah, don't sound like the most smart person, was easily radicalized after all.

[sumskilz]

Well, he's a Messianic Jew (people tend to differentiate them from Christians), so he must feel a connection to Israel (are them allowed Israeli citizenship?). But yeah, don't sound like the most smart person, was easily radicalized after all.

It may have been different in the '60s, but I think the majority of Messianic Jews today aren't Jews other than that's what they call themselves. They're more of an evangelical sect like Seventh Day Adventists, but they're really obsessed with Jews and trying to convert Jews and have some ethnically Jewish leaders. I've met a lot of them because they like to get student visas to study in Israel. The ones that are ethnically Jewish usually have a Jewish father and a fanatically Christian mother. There are also a lot of Latinos who have rumors of Jewish ancestry way back that they want to reconnect with but without giving up their Christianity. There is some friction with the Israeli government because proselytizing is illegal in Israel. Only those who have at least one Jewish grandparent can apply for citizenship. This Schreiber guy has a surname that could be German or Ashkenazi. He doesn't look either to me, but maybe he has Jewish ancestry.

All of his Jewish friends on Facebook are Hasids of various persuasions. That's not surprising to me since they are known for doing various outreach programs with non-Jews, especially Christians, because they believe getting all non-Jews to follow the Noahide laws is repairing the universe. Mostly those laws are the things Christians and Muslims do according their own religions, but some of the imagery in Christian religion (like crucifixes) Hasids consider to be bordering on idolatry. He comes across to me like someone who really wants to belong to something. His cover photo is weird. Looks like he photoshopped it together poorly. It's got the Messianic symbol on it, but then he has pasted Hebrew on top of that which says "Jesus arrows" whatever that's supposed to mean.

[Ziltoid]

Should America ban these ideologies and organizations that led to this radicalization?

Only if they ban first extreme islamist organizations leading to radicalization, salafism/wahhabism and islamic hate preachers.

EU should do the same ASAP. We have already had enough terrorist strikes caused by these movements enough with death tolls in hundreds in just recent year.

[Big War Bird]

How many people were killed in this attack?

[PointOfViewGun]

How many people were killed in this attack?

So, its ok since no one was hurt?

[Big War Bird]

So, its ok since no one was hurt?

Just asking how many people were killed. The OP didn't say.

[Roma_Victrix]

There are arsonists who burn stuff just to get their rocks off. This guy was doing so for a political reason, given his statements afterwards. It's true that no one was killed, but it's still an act of terrorism, since he had political goals in mind and the desire to terrorize the local Muslim community, to make them live in fear (just how Omar wanted gays to live in fear). That being said, it is up for the court of law to decide if this was an act of terrorism or not, and if he should be charged as such.

[snuggans]

"IF AMERICA truly wants peace and safety and pursuit of happiness they should consider all forms of ISLAM as radical. ... ALL ISLAM IS RADICAL, and should be considered TERRORIST AND CRIMANALS (sic) and all hoo (sic) participate in such activity should be found guilty of WAR CRIM (sic) until law and order is restored in this beautiful free country."
hey now, this sort of post sounds eerily familiar...

anyway i'm sure this will be chalked up to "crazy guy suffering from mental issues" and they'll make him do community service or something


attacks on Muslims are increasing:

Cops Search for Suspect in Fire Attack on Muslim Woman in Midtown


Hate Attacks on Muslims in U.S. Spike After Recent Acts of Terrorism


Attacks Against US Muslims Growing in Frequency, Violence


Hate attacks on U.S. Muslims are spiking — and where’s the outrage?


truly what a disgusting society and times we live in

[Heathen Hammer]

It was most likely was full of hate preachers who were saying it is okay to murder gays, which "inspired" Omar Mateen to attack that club.
To be honest, all Gulf-sponsored Mosques or any mosques that preach violence against any group should be shut down. That's how civilized countries should deal with them.
While "hate attacks" against muslims barely happen and are basically a non-issue, we see massive terrorist attacks from muslims, "inspired" by what they heard in such mosques.

[PointOfViewGun]

It was most likely was full of hate preachers who were saying it is okay to murder gays, which "inspired" Omar Mateen to attack that club.
To be honest, all Gulf-sponsored Mosques or any mosques that preach violence against any group should be shut down. That's how civilized countries should deal with them.

So, its ok to burn down mosques based on your assumptions?

While "hate attacks" against muslims barely happen and are basically a non-issue, we see massive terrorist attacks from muslims, "inspired" by what they heard in such mosques.

Let me guess. I'll call BS and ask for actual numbers and what it takes for hate attack numbers to not be "barely" and you'll rant and dance around the actual issue like there is no tomorrow?

[Heathen Hammer]

So, its ok to burn down mosques based on your assumptions?

No, as I said they should be legally shut down. However, we can't be surprised when people vandalize mosques due to recent terrorist attacks and behavior of muslims immigrant community in Europe.

Let me guess. I'll call BS and ask for actual numbers and what it takes for hate attack numbers to not be "barely" and you'll rant and dance around the actual issue like there is no tomorrow?

So can you provide the actual numbers then?

[PointOfViewGun]

No, as I said they should be legally shut down. However, we can't be surprised when people vandalize mosques due to recent terrorist attacks and behavior of muslims immigrant community in Europe.

That's something different than what you said earlier. You were basically trying to justify this attack.

So can you provide the actual numbers then?

You want me to provide data because I hypothesized about asking for data? Seriously?

[Heathen Hammer]

That's something different than what you said earlier. You were basically trying to justify this attack.

No I didn't. I just pointed out why it most likely happened and that proper response would be shutting down radical mosques and taxing the living crap out of the remaining ones.

You want me to provide data because I hypothesized about asking for data? Seriously?

So if you can't prove a claim that you made, what's the point of making it?

[Derpy Hooves]

Let's put it this way: did the suspect do it to terrorize Muslims or did he do it for some other reason (a.e. for s and giggles)? If it is the former, he is a terrorist, if the latter, he is not

[Mayer]

How is this not terrorism? What separate this attack from other attacks claimed to be carried out by terrorists?

Death toll. This is just vandalism.