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Matthew James Amiot was arrested on Friday, September 13th. He is currently detained in St. Louis County Jail under the charge of first degree criminal arson. The Duluth News Tribune does not usually name suspects who have not yet been charged, but have done so because of the highly publicized nature of the crime.
The city of Duluth held a press conference Sunday morning about the arrest of the fire suspect of the Adas Israel synagogue and the investigation of the fire. Duluth's police chief, Mike Tusken, said that it was not thought that it was a hate-motivated crime, but he stressed "that it is an open and ongoing investigation ".
Tusken presented the chronology of events at the press conference Sunday morning. The firefighters were summoned to the synagogue Monday at 2:23 pm for reporting a fire in an outhouse.
The news of the synagogue that burns on the ground has spread all over the world and has attracted a lot of attention on social media.
An extensive and intense investigation into the causes of the fire lasted all week. It has mobilized approximately 20 investigators from the Duluth Police and Fire Departments and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This federal agency intervenes during the fire of a place of worship.
Firefighters were called to the synagogue at 2:23 pm Monday. The removal efforts inside the building were canceled after the collapse of the structure. Authorities held two press conferences following the fire, claiming that they had identified new clues on Tuesday.
The Adas Israel synagogue is home to a shul of modern orthodox Jewish families. Built in 1901, the synagogue is the last of its kind in Northland. To worship in the modern orthodox Jewish religion is to practice Jewish law by living in modern life.
New York author Sarah Rose, a descendant of one of the founders of the synagogue, told the News Tribune this week: "We hope this is not our worst nightmare."
Rose called Duluth her ancestral home. She has visited relatives and the synagogue often while traveling from her home in Chicago.
The Jewish community of Duluth has declined since its historical roots. According to "Stories and Bequests of Some Jewish Immigrants in Twin Ports", the late Bob Goldish wrote that Jews had begun populating the twinned ports in 1871, coming mainly from Germany and eastern Europe. Their population was around 4,000, and by the time of writing, in 2011, it had dropped to less than 1,000 people.
According to sources this week, the Adas Israel congregation was founded by modern Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Lithuania, some seeking to avoid conscription into the army. Goldish wrote that conscription for Jewish boys, at that time and in this part of the world, could start at age 14 or 15 and last 25 years.
"Most have never been reviewed," he wrote in his nearly 100-page report, which serves as a basis for a lecture given at the Duluth Institute of Art.
About forty families lived in the synagogue. The leaders said the shul was facing an uncertain future with no place of worship.
This is a story in development. Come back for updates.
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