Duluth officials announce arrest in synagogue fire, say there's no evidence of hate crime
Updated: 7:40 p.m. | Posted: 11:20 a.m.
Authorities in Duluth announced Sunday that a 36-year-old man faces charges of first-degree arson in the fire that destroyed a synagogue last week, and that there is no indication that the fire was a hate crime.
The nearly 120-year-old Adas Israel Congregation synagogue in downtown Duluth was destroyed in an early morning fire on Monday, Sept. 9.
Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken said at a news conference that surveillance video and tips from residents directed investigators to the suspect, who was arrested Friday.
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Authorities said the fire started in a sukkah — a temporary structure next to the synagogue constructed for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Tusken and Fire Chief Shawn Krizaj said there was no indication that any accelerants were used to fuel the fire, but they did not provide information on how or why the fire was started.
"Based on all the information that I have reviewed... there is at this moment in time no reason to believe this is a bias or hate crime," Tusken said at a City Hall news conference Sunday. "That may change... but at this point in time that is the determination I have."
Tusken said the suspect was identified as a person of interest as early as Monday afternoon and was known to police from previous arrests. Tusken said there appeared to be no connection between the suspect and the synagogue.
The suspect is from Duluth but has no fixed address, Tusken said. MPR News is not naming the suspect because he has not been formally charged; formal charges are expected by midweek.
Rabbi Phillip Sher from the synagogue spoke at Sunday's news conference and praised the "heroic" efforts of first responders to save artifacts and religious items from the burning building.
He said the suspect is not someone known to the congregation.
"I will not speculate as to the man's motives, and I would warn everybody — you're innocent until proven guilty, and that's America as it should be," Sher said. "We're not out for vengeance. All I can find out of this event is sadness, for everyone."
Sher said the congregation has seen a lot of support from the Duluth community and beyond since the fire. He said the congregation is trying to figure out its next steps.
"We'll forge ahead somehow. We're making arrangements right now to start to begin services again," he said. "We'll be in a variety of places until we find a permanent home. I don't know that we're going to find a permanent home... We won't even begin, probably, until next spring. Winters in Duluth can be a little difficult to find places."
He asked that people hold off on fundraisers for now, until the congregation is able to work with its insurance company.
"The last thing we want to do is take people's hard-earned money when in fact we may not need it," he said, noting that if there are ways the community can financially support the congregation, they'll make that known.
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said Adas Israel “will not move forward alone.”
“This community does incredible things for one another when we need to, and now is the time that we need to,” she said.
Tusken, addressing the congregation, said that "your loss is our loss, your pain is our pain" — and that the community stands together.
Krizaj said one firefighter who was injured by falling debris while battling the fire continues to recover from concussion symptoms.
Correction (Sept. 15, 2019): An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the nature of the structure where the fire started.