FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — The man accused of setting fire to a Florida mosque posted anti-Islamic statements on Facebook.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office arrested 32-year-old Joseph Michael Schreiber on Wednesday and charged him with arson for allegedly setting fire to the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce late Sunday. Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen had occasionally attended the mosque.
A July post placed on Facebook by Schreiber stated that, “IF AMERICA truly wants peace and safety and pursuit of happiness they should consider all forms of ISLAM as radical.” Schreiber is Jewish.
Maj. David Thompson of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office told a news conference Schreiber was taken into custody on a street in Fort Pierce by authorities acting on tips from members of the community and aided by surveillance video.
