The suspect in a series of arsons that burned three historically black Louisiana churches over the course of 10 days may have been driven by “hate,” a state fire marshal said. Authorities arrested Holden Matthews, 21, at about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in rural St. Landry Parish where the fires occurred in late March and early April. Matthews is the son of a St. Landry Parish sheriff’s deputy, and according to The Daily Beast, has implied white supremacist leanings through his Facebook page. On Thursday, state Fire Marshal Butch Browning said an investigation is still underway, but that investigators were looking into a “hate motive” as well as Matthews’ ties to black metal music. All three are historically black churches.

Source: Huffington Post April 11, 2019 15:26 UTC