Mississippi synagogue arson suspect's dad turns him in after laughing confession, FBI says

A suspect accused of setting fire to a Mississippi synagogue once bombed by the Ku Klux Klan admitted he targeted the building because it is a Jewish house of worship and was turned into police after a laughing confession to his father, the FBI said Monday.

Stephen Pittman, 19, was charged in federal court with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by fire or explosive in connection with the weekend arson at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson.

According to an FBI affidavit, Pittman admitted to lighting the fire inside the synagogue, referring to it as "the synagogue of Satan." Authorities said Pittman’s father contacted the FBI after he observed burns on Pittman’s ankles, hands and face, and hearing his son confess to setting the building on fire.

"Pittman laughed as he told his father what he did and said he finally got them," the FBI said in the document, according to WLBT-TV.

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Pittman made his first appearance Monday in U.S. District Court via video from a hospital bed, where both of his hands were visibly bandaged. A public defender was appointed to represent him.

Prosecutors said Pittman faces five to 20 years in prison if convicted. When the judge advised him of his rights, Pittman responded, "Jesus Christ is Lord."

Pittman told the judge he is a high school graduate who completed three semesters of college. He is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 20 for a preliminary and detention hearing.

The fire broke out shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday. No congregants or firefighters were injured, but the blaze caused extensive damage to the synagogue’s library and administrative offices.

Security footage released by the congregation shows a masked, hooded individual pouring liquid from a gas can onto the floor and a couch inside the building’s lobby. Investigators said Pittman stopped at a gas station beforehand to buy gasoline and removed his vehicle’s license plate. He allegedly used an ax to break a window, poured fuel inside the synagogue and ignited it with a torch lighter.

The affidavit said Pittman texted his father a photo of the synagogue before the fire, writing, "There’s a furnace in the back." When his father urged him to come home, Pittman allegedly replied that he was "due for a homerun" and said, "I did my research."

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Investigators later recovered a burned cellphone believed to belong to Pittman, and seized a hand torch found by a congregant.

Five Torah scrolls inside the sanctuary were being evaluated for smoke damage. Two Torahs stored in the synagogue’s library were destroyed. Another Torah that survived the Holocaust was protected behind glass and was not damaged, the congregation said.

The 165-year-old synagogue is the largest one in the state and was previously bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s.

"This news puts a face and name to this tragedy, but does not change our resolve to proudly — even defiantly — continue Jewish life in Jackson in the face of hatred," Beth Israel Congregation said in a statement.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi that she has directed prosecutors to seek "severe penalties."

"This disgusting act of anti-Semitic violence has no place in our country, and unlike the prior administration, this Department of Justice will not let anti-Semitism fester and flourish," Bondi said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bill Clinton scheduled to appear before Oversight Committee as contempt of Congress threat looms

Former President Bill Clinton has been summoned to appear on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning, as Republicans threaten a possible criminal referral if the ex-commander-in-chief skips out.

He and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have both been subpoenaed to appear before the House Oversight Committee for separate closed-door depositions for the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Clinton was scheduled to appear Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., but it’s not clear whether he will do so. The deposition is expected to move forward regardless.

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A spokeswoman for the committee told Fox News Digital on Friday that neither had confirmed their scheduled dates at that point.

"The Clintons have not confirmed their appearances for their subpoenaed depositions. They are obligated under the law to appear, and we expect them to do so. If the Clintons do not appear at their depositions, the House Oversight Committee will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings," the spokeswoman said.

Both Clintons were originally scheduled to appear before the committee in October, but their deposition dates were postponed while the panel was in talks with their attorneys.

Their deposition dates were delayed again when House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., was informed the former first couple would be attending a funeral.

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"They're saying now that he's going to a funeral on that day, so we've been going back and forth with the lawyer," Comer told Fox News Digital in December. "We're going to hold him in contempt if he doesn't show up for his deposition."

The House Oversight Committee would need to advance a contempt resolution before it's considered by the entire chamber. If a simple majority votes to hold someone in contempt of Congress, a criminal referral is then traditionally made to the Department of Justice.

A criminal contempt of Congress charge is a misdemeanor that carries a punishment of up to one year in jail and a maximum $100,000 fine if convicted.

In the absence of mutually agreed-upon new dates, new subpoenas were issued for Bill and Hillary Clinton to appear on Jan. 13 and Jan. 14, respectively.

They were two of 10 people who Comer initially subpoenaed in the House's Epstein investigation after a unanimous bipartisan vote directed him to do so last year.

Clinton was known to be friendly with the late pedophile before his federal charges but was never implicated in any wrongdoing related to him.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Clintons' lawyer and Bill Clinton's spokesperson to ask whether he would appear Tuesday, but did not receive a response.

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