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Matthew James Amiot, 36, of Duluth, was arrested on Friday and is currently being held at St. Louis County Jail under the charge of first degree criminal arson. The Press Gallery 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 at the moment, it was not thought that it was a crime motivated by bias or hatred, but he pointed out "that it is an open and ongoing investigation" and that this could change as the investigation progresses.
Tusken presented the chronology of events at the press conference. Firefighters were called to the synagogue at 9:23 am on September 9th, as a result of a fire report in an outhouse. The fire broke out on the northeastern side of the building and was extinguished, but spread to the synagogue.
Tusken said that Amiot had been identified as a person of interest in the afternoon of September 9, after police conducted an investigation in the area, spotted as many surveillance videos as possible and followed up tracks. Police questioned two other people last week about the fire in the morning. Nor are considered suspicious.
On Friday, investigators met with St. Louis County Deputy Attorney Victoria Wanta to review the investigation. At that time, an arrest warrant was issued, Tusken said. Amiot was located, arrested and interrogated on Friday afternoon.
Tusken did not want to comment further on Amiot's motives and point people to the criminal complaint that should be filed in the middle of the week at the Duluth District Court.
At the press conference, Phillip Sher, Israel's secular leader of Adas, thanked everyone involved in the survey, as well as everyone who made contact with him and the congregation with support.
"I've been there all my life and the first thing you think is an image of where you're going to go in. We're moving forward. start the services again, "Sher said. "True Judaism is in the heart, not in the building and our heritage will continue with our hearts."
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 last 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.
A firefighter from Duluth, identified as Ben Gasner, was injured during the fire. Duluth Fire Chief Shawn Krizaj said Gasner, who had been working for the department for 19 years, was recovering at home after a concussion suffered while fighting the fire.
The Adas Israel synagogue is home to a shul of modern orthodox Jewish families. Built in 1901, the synagogue was 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, 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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