A 32-year-old Florida man has been arrested and is facing a charge of arson with a hate crime enhancement in connection with a fire that heavily damaged the mosque that Orlando, Fla., nightclub gunman Omar Mateen occasionally attended, authorities announced Wednesday. 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 taken from the mosque and elsewhere, Thompson said at a news conference. Thompson said the arson charge, coupled with a hate crime enhancement under Florida law, could bring up to 30 years in prison in event of a conviction. Thompson said a search warrant was executed at Schreiber's home, where investigators reported finding evidence linked to the arson, as well as anti-Islamic social media posts. He said the mosque began receiving threatening phone calls shortly after the Pulse massacre.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 14, 2016 22:04 UTC