http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/15/us/arrest-made-in-arson-at-mosque-that-orlando-nightclub-gunman-attended.html 2016-09-15 03:45:09 Arrest Made in Arson at Mosque That Orlando Nightclub Gunman Attended A Florida man who espoused anti-Islamic views on social media was charged on Wednesday in connection with a fire that damaged a mosque in Fort Pierce, Fla., the authorities said. === A Florida man who espoused anti-Islamic views on social media was charged with arson on Wednesday in connection with a fire that damaged a mosque on Sunday in Fort Pierce, Fla., the authorities said. The fire broke out around 11:40 p.m. at the mosque, the Officials of the The authorities said at a news conference that Mr. Schreiber had previously been charged with armed robbery. He had “multiple anti-Islamic posts and comments” on his Facebook page, said Maj. David Thompson, the director of law enforcement at the sheriff’s office. Mr. Schreiber also wrote about the Sept. 11 attacks, but officials did not elaborate further on a possible motive for the fire. In a July 12 post on his Facebook page, Mr. Schreiber, who grew up in Mastic on Long Island, according to his social media profile, wrote that Americans should view “all forms of Islam as radical” if they want peace and safety. “There is no such a thing as radical ISLAMIC extremism...ALL ISLAM IS RADICAL,” he wrote. Mr. Schreiber faces a charge of second-degree arson but will face an enhancement under Florida law for a hate crime. That will raise the charge to first-degree arson, Major Thompson said. The authorities did not directly address whether others were involved in the arson, saying only that the investigation was still in its early stages. Officials said tips from members of the community along with surveillance video from businesses and homes helped to match Mr. Schreiber with footage of an individual on a motorcycle who was seen leaving the mosque after the fire started. A surveillance camera recorded a man who appeared to be carrying paper and a bottle containing some type of liquid as he approached the mosque. Then came a flash as flames damaged the house of worship. No one was injured. The fire burned a 10-by-10-foot hole in the roof at the back of the mosque’s main building and blackened its eaves with soot, The Associated Press reported. Rewards totaling $10,000 were offered for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist. With its painted star and crescent, and palm trees and an occasional protester outside, the Sunni mosque is central to Islamic life in Fort Pierce, a city of around 44,000 people about an hour’s drive north of Palm Beach. Yet it has also been a source of controversy, drawing attention twice in recent years as a place where young men who staged attacks had worshiped. In addition to Omar Mateen, who was killed during the In June, the Islamic Center’s imam, Syed Shafeeq Rahman, distanced himself and the mosque from Mr. Mateen and, more generally, from extremist ideology. A representative of the mosque was not available to comment on Wednesday about the arrest of Mr. Schreiber.