by Associated Press

September 14, 2016

 

A 32-year-old Florida man has been arrested and is facing a charge of arson with a hate crime enhancement in connection with a fire that heavily damaged the mosque that Orlando, Fla., nightclub gunman Omar Mateen occasionally attended, authorities announced Wednesday.

Joseph Michael Schreiber was arrested without incident Wednesday afternoon and was being interrogated by officials investigating the fire set late Sunday that extensively damaged the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said Maj. David Thompson of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.

Schreiber was taken into custody on a street in Fort Pierce by authorities acting on tips from members of the community and aided by surveillance video taken from the mosque and elsewhere, Thompson said at a news conference. Thompson said the arson charge, coupled with a hate crime enhancement under Florida law, could bring up to 30 years in prison in event of a conviction.

 

Full article: http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-mosque-arson-arrest-20160914-snap-story.html