Federal officials on Monday charged a man with setting fire to the only synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi, claiming that the suspect did so because of the building's "Jewish ties."

According to an FBI affidavit, the building sustained "extensive" damage, rendering it "inoperable for an indefinite period of time."

The suspect, identified by the FBI as Stephen Spencer Pittman, allegedly laughed about the attack, telling his father "he finally got them" and referring to the place of worship as the "synagogue of Satan," according to the affidavit.

Pittman is charged with arson of property used in interstate commerce or used in an activity affecting interstate commerce, according to the criminal complaint.

The fire occurred around 3 a.m. on Saturday at the historic Beth Israel Congregation temple in Jackson, the same synagogue that was bombed in 1967 by the Ku Klux Klan, officials said. The FBI said the building also houses the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL).

Boards cover the charred remains of the Beth Israel Congregation library, which was set on fire early Saturday morning, on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Jackson, Mississippi.

AP Photo / Sophie Bates

"The ISJL operates in interstate and foreign commerce as it provides services to Jewish communities" in 13 different states, including Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas, according to the affidavit, and also "provides comprehensive religious school programs to 70 Jewish congregations and offers traveling rabbinical services," most of which "are delivered in states outside the State of Mississippi."

Pittman's father contacted the FBI and "advised his son confessed to setting the building on fire," according to the affidavit, and allegedly sent text messages to his father about the blaze, saying he was "due for a homerun" and "I did my research," according to the affidavit.

Pittman allegedly admitted to stopping to purchase gasoline, taking his license plate off of his car, breaking a window at the synagogue, pouring the gasoline inside of the building and using a torch lighter to start the fire, according to the affidavit.

"Pittman was identified as a person of interest and ultimately confessed to lighting a fire inside the building due to the building's Jewish ties," the affidavit said.

Security video from inside the building "showed the fire was started by an individual inside the building in the early morning hours of January 10, 2026," according to the affidavit.

"A hooded individual can be seen walking in the interior of the building pouring contents from what appeared to be a gas container," the affidavit also said.

Pittman allegedly sent text messages to his father from the synagogue, writing that there was a "furnace" in the back of the building, that he had removed his license plate from his vehicle, and that his "hoodie is on," according to the affidavit. He also allegedly noted that the synagogue has "the best cameras," the affidavit said.

Pittman's father told authorities that later that day when he confronted his son, he observed burns on his son's ankles, hands and face, according to the affidavit.

After detaining Pittman, the FBI agents, the Jackson Fire Department and Hinds County Sheriff's Office investigators interviewed him. Pittman allegedly confessed to the investigator that he set fire to the synagogue and said that he "caught himself on fire during the act," the affidavit said.

Pittman also allegedly told authorities that he left his cell phone in the synagogue, the affidavit said. The FBI later recovered a burned cell phone from the scene, which they believed to be Pittman's, the affidavit said.

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