The first fire occurred on May 11 at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life Arlington-Belmont in Arlington, a Boston suburb, but did little damage and was put out easily. On May 16, a second fire started at the same location, and then approximately an hour later, another fire started about 12 miles away at the Chabad Jewish Center in Needham. No one was hurt in either blaze and damage was minimal. In the aftermath of the fires, the Anti-Defamation League also offered $15,000 for relevant information about the arsonist. The FBI and the local police forces have been investigating the incidents as possible hate crimes. They also released surveillance footage of the episodes. According to the FBI statement, the footage shows a man approximately 5’11” wearing a dark jacket with a hood pulled over his head and Khaki pants, slowly walking to and from the locations where the fires were set. Arlington, which is less than 10 miles northwest of Boston, has seen a number of antisemitic and racist incidents in recent years, including a widely reported incident a year ago in which 14 juveniles admitted to painting antisemitic and homophobic graffiti and vandalizing a public high school.JTA contributed to this report.Can you help us ID this man who may have information relevant to our investigation into 3 arsons at Chabad Centers in Arlington & Needham, MA? Up to $20K reward for info leading to the arrest of the individual(s) allegedly responsible. Call 857-386-2000.https://t.co/Ws0hePPOaD pic.twitter.com/xU3mjW9jUM
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) August 6, 2019
FBI offers $20,000 for info on arson at Chabad Centers near Boston
The bureau released new surveillance footage of the suspect.
