The suspect charged with setting a fire inside a historic Jackson, Mississippi, synagogue over the weekend admitted it was because of the building’s “Jewish ties,” according to an FBI criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Mississippi on Monday. 

Security footage showed the suspect, Stephen Spencer Pittman, inside Beth Israel Congregation around 3 a.m. on Saturday, pouring what appeared to be gasoline, according to the complaint. Pittman was charged with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive. 

Authorities said Pittman’s father reached out to the FBI, saying his son confessed to starting the fire, which was later corroborated by map data from a location-sharing app Pittman had on his phone. Pittman also texted his father a photo of the back of the synagogue, writing, “There’s a furnace in the back,” the complaint alleges, noting that his father “pleaded for his son to return home.”

Hours later, Pittman’s father confronted his son after noticing burns on his ankles. Pittman “laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them,” the complaint said. 

That evening, investigators at the Jackson Fire Department and Hinds County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Pittman, who admitted to starting the fire and called the building “the synagogue of Satan,” according to the complaint. He told investigators he stopped to purchase gasoline, removed his license plate and broke into the building through a window with an axe, using a torch lighter to start the fire after pouring gasoline.

On Sunday, Jackson Mayor John Horhn condemned “acts of antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred,” which he said will be treated as acts of terror against residents.

“Targeting people because of their faith, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation is morally wrong, un-American, and completely incompatible with the values of this city,” he said in a statement posted to social media. 

Beth Israel, established over 160 years ago, is Jackson’s only synagogue and was the first synagogue in the state. 

In 1967, Beth Israel was bombed by Ku Klux Klan members. Two months later, they bombed the home of the congregation’s rabbi as well, according to the Beth Israel website. The rabbi wasn’t home at the time and no one was hurt in the bombings. 

There are still congregants at the synagogue who were members during those bombings, according to a representative for Beth Israel.

Parts of the building are damaged by water, smoke and soot. The sanctuary, where worship services are held, needs restoration but is still standing. Five Torahs — the sacred scrolls with the text of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible — located inside the sanctuary were assessed for damage. Two Torahs inside the library were destroyed. One Torah rescued during the Holocaust and kept behind glass was undamaged. 

The attack on Beth Israel comes amid a nationwide spike in antisemitism. There’s been an 893% increase over the past decade in antisemitic incidents, according to the Anti-Defamation League. A 2024 audit by ADL recorded more than  9,000 incidents – it’s the highest number recorded since the organization began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1980.

“We are still assessing the damage to the building, but will be continuing our worship services and other programs – locations to be determined,” Zach Shemper, president of Beth Israel Congregation, said in a statement to CBS News, adding that several churches have offered their spaces for worship.

“We are a resilient people. With support from our community, we will rebuild,” Shemper said.

Patrick Torphy contributed to this report