College Student Charged in Arson at Texas Synagogue

An 18-year-old assemblage pupil was charged with arson connected Monday successful an onslaught connected a synagogue successful Austin, Texas, connected Halloween nighttime that caused extended harm to the building, the authorities said.

Stickers with Nazi propaganda and swastikas connected them were recovered from the student, Franklin Barrett Sechriest, according to an F.B.I. peculiar agent, who said successful a transgression ailment that Mr. Sechriest wrote astir the arson successful a diary that included radical slurs.

The people of the attack, Congregation Beth Israel, a betterment synagogue serving astir 710 households, estimated that the harm exceeded $150,000.

“I acceptable a synagogue connected fire,” Mr. Sechriest, a pupil astatine Texas State University successful San Marcos, Texas, wrote successful the journal, according to the complaint, which included photos of the entries.

Security footage from the nighttime of the onslaught showed Mr. Sechriest carrying a five-gallon substance jug and a rotation of toilet insubstantial toward the synagogue’s entrance, earlier disappearing from presumption of the camera. The F.B.I. peculiar agent, Thomas P. Joy Jr., said footage showed the chiseled glow of a occurrence ignition moments later.

Mr. Sechriest’s look was covered successful the video, but investigators said that helium had been driving the aforesaid achromatic 2021 Jeep Cherokee that had appeared connected information camera footage from 3 nights earlier erstwhile helium canvassed the synagogue. The vehicle’s licence sheet was disposable successful the footage.

Mr. Sechriest was a backstage successful the Texas National Guard earlier resigning earlier this month, the Guard confirmed successful an email connected Monday. Richard Lyn Cofer II, a lawyer for Mr. Sechriest, did not instantly respond to telephone and email messages connected Monday.

The national authorities did not accidental whether Mr. Sechriest would beryllium charged with a hatred transgression successful the arson, which was portion of a recent bid of antisemitic acts successful the Austin area.

Rabbi Steven Folberg of Congregation Beth Israel said connected Monday that the building’s woody beforehand doors were charred beyond repair.

“It’s similar their location being attacked,” Rabbi Folberg said, adding that the building’s stained solid windows were covered successful soot and 1 had been damaged.

The rabbi said that the arson occurred arsenic the congregation was preparing to big in-person Shabbat services for the archetypal clip since the coronavirus pandemic began. Now the gathering faces a lengthy cleanup.

“The sanctuary is not going to beryllium disposable to america for immoderate time,” Rabbi Folberg said.

No 1 was injured successful the fire, which the rabbi said mightiness person been worse. He credited a operator with spotting the flames and calling 911, which helium said saved the synagogue.

Rabbi Folberg, who has been astatine Congregation Beth Israel for 30 years, said that helium initially wondered if the occurrence had been a prank due to the fact that it happened connected Halloween. As the details started to look from the information camera footage and the F.B.I. report, the rabbi said it became disturbing.

“You commencement asking each kinds of questions astir what’s going connected successful the beingness of idiosyncratic that would bash thing similar this,” helium said.

Texas State University said successful a connection that it was helping the investigation.

“Our assemblage decries this hateful enactment of bigotry and unit and each the antisemitic events perpetrated precocious successful Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos,” it said. “The Texas State University assemblage stands successful solidarity with our Jewish students, faculty, staff, alumni and assemblage members who person been impacted.”

Since the arson, the rabbi said, radical from assorted faiths person rallied astir the congregation, contributing much than $100,000 toward the cleanup.

At a rally extracurricular the State Capitol successful Austin connected Sunday to beforehand kindness and denounce acts of antisemitism, the rabbi said that an imam from the North Austin Muslim Community Center expressed his solidarity — successful much than conscionable words.

“He took an envelope retired of his robe and handed maine a cheque that was raised by the mosque,” Rabbi Folberg said.

The imam, Islam Mossaad, said connected Monday that the cheque was for $5,000 but that what it stood for was much significant. He recalled a occurrence of chartless root successful 2017 that destroyed a mosque that was nether operation adjacent Lake Travis, which is extracurricular of Austin.

“When immoderate of america are attacked,” the imam said, “all of america are attacked.”

Seamus Hughes contributed research.