At least Ten Alabama churches burned

[Brent]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/03/alabam ... index.html

[TexasStooge]

Great, more church fires.

[Skywatch_NC]

Some peeps have absolutely no conscience whatsoever.

Eric

[Rainband]

Some peeps have absolutely no conscience whatsoever.

Eric

I agree.

[southerngale]

This just makes me sick. I think people who do things like this should go to jail forever, or at least a very long time. Wanna cut crime? Quit slapping people on the wrist and there wouldn't be so much crime.

My church had been undergoing construction for a while before Rita hit and the hurricane did nearly nearly a million in damage. (and we're a very small church)
Now we've been rebuilding again. If some little punks tried to burn it down, I think I'd lose it.

What is wrong with people in this world? I mean seriously...get a life!!

[alicia-w]

now it's TEN

[Brent]

now it's TEN

Yep... another fire at a church in Lamar County about 4:30pm this afternoon.

[alicia-w]

i thought they had some leads that were getting them closer to an arrest! seems like folks would be setting up camp at their churches to protect them....

[Brent]

i thought they had some leads that were getting them closer to an arrest! seems like folks would be setting up camp at their churches to protect them....

Some churches have... they just happen to be getting ones that aren't guarded.

An SVU was seen fleeing the scene, which matches a description from some of the other fires.

[Cookiely]

i thought they had some leads that were getting them closer to an arrest! seems like folks would be setting up camp at their churches to protect them....

My sister says they are hiding with shotguns. She says they won't kill unless they are threatened but they will protect their church. The sad part is some of the church's were historical. She told me that they don't think its just one person doing this. I just can't understand the motivation. Maybe the person is simply angry with God.

[alicia-w]

havent they decided the fires are racially motivated? they'll be considered hate crimes as well as arson then, I guess.

[Brent]

havent they decided the fires are racially motivated? they'll be considered hate crimes as well as arson then, I guess.

There's been speculation about that, but I'm not sure. I've heard no one say it was confirmed to be racially motivated though. I think I remember 3 or 4 of the early churches that burned being predominately white.

[Cookiely]

havent they decided the fires are racially motivated? they'll be considered hate crimes as well as arson then, I guess.

The church's are pretty much half and half black and white so the FBI does not believe its racial.

[Stephanie]

I hope they catch these jerks soon! This is horrible!

[alicia-w]

dont these fools have better things to do than burn churches? they've tied an SUV to more than one fire.

[Brent]

Attempt differs from 10 church arsons
Cause of two other Alabama blazes remains under investigation

Sunday, February 19, 2006; Posted: 9:07 p.m. EST (02:07 GMT)

(CNN) -- An attempted arson at an east Alabama church on Sunday bears little similarity to 10 other intentionally set church fires in the state, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said.

It appeared something was thrown Sunday morning at a Church of God in an effort to set it alight, said the ATF's Jim Cavanaugh. The church is in a remote location near the Etowah County community of Glencoe.

The effort failed, and resulted in minimal damage to the church's exterior.

Alabama State Fire Marshal Richard Montgomery told CNN the vinyl siding on an outside wall was scorched. The attempted fire was discovered by a church member arriving for services, he said.

The other 10 arsons and attempted arsons have all been in the central or western parts of the state.

In addition, Cavanaugh said there were no signs of forced entry into the Glencoe church -- a departure from the other arsons. (Map of suspicious fires)

The previous Alabama church arsons have been at Baptist churches, five with predominantly black congregations and five with mainly white members.

The ATF is also investigating a fire Friday night at a Methodist church on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa, in western Alabama, Cavanaugh said, but it has not yet been determined whether it was accidental.

The cause may involve a cloth covering a Bible on a table with candles around it.

In addition, the ATF is investigating a warehouse fire in Tuscaloosa on Friday night that apparently housed merchandise for a Christian business. The blaze is considered arson, Cavanaugh said.

ATF is sending a national response team to the city Monday to determine if the fire is similar to the church arsons. Tuscaloosa police and the ATF are planning a Monday news conference on the warehouse fire.

[Brent]

Fire Breaks Out At Church In Lamar County

POSTED: 10:54 pm CST February 23, 2006
UPDATED: 10:55 pm CST February 23, 2006

Firefighters are battling a blaze at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Lamar County that broke out at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday.



Edit: Local news just said it appears to be accidential.

[alicia-w]

Two people arrested, third person sought, in connection with string of church fires in Alabama, federal law enforcement sources tell CNN.

Federal law enforcement officials believe they have scored a big break with the arrests of two people believed responsible for the string of church fires in Alabama, NBC’s Pete Williams reported Wednesday.

Officials have not yet said who they are, but authorities believe they have solved the case, Williams added. The two were arrested Tuesday night.

A federal source told The Associated Press that the two suspects are young men.

The two will appear in a court in Birmingham, Ala., later Wednesday morning.

Police are also searching for a third person.

Ten Baptist churches in rural parts of the state were burned by arsonists last month. Nine of the fires — five on Feb. 3 in Bibb County and four on Feb. 7 in west Alabama — have been linked. Another church fire on Feb. 11 in Lamar County has been ruled arson, but investigators have not determined if it is connected to the others.

[alicia-w]

Two people have been arrested in connection with 10 church fires in Alabama last month, officials told CNN Wednesday.

The suspects have been identified as Ben Moseley and Russell Debusk, both 19 and students at Birmingham Southern College, said Alabama's state fire marshall, Richard Montgomery.

They were to appear in federal court Wednesday morning in Birmingham. Authorities plan a news conference later in the day.

A third person, identified as Matthew Lee Cloyd, a 20-year-old student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is being sought, said Montgomery.

None of the three have criminal records.

Good police work, broke the case, said Montgomery, with the help of a set of tire tracks from a green Toyota 4Runner left at four fire scenes.

U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Alabama, said law enforcement officers spent hundreds of hours tracking the tire tread -- which was not from a commonly used tire -- and finally traced it to a tire dealer in Shelby County, Alabama.

The dealer told authorities he had recently special-ordered the tires for a customer, Bachus said, and directed them to the owner of the vehicle, apparently Cloyd. Authorities spoke with him, and he gave them information on the other two suspects, but it was not clear why Cloyd was not arrested at the time.

Arsonists struck the churches between February 3 and February 11.

Of the 10, five were in Bibb County and four in west Alabama. Another church fire in Lamar County on February 11 has been ruled an arson, but investigators haven't determined if it was connected to the others.

Five of the churches had predominantly white congregations, and five were predominantly black. All were Baptist, the dominant faith in the region, and most were in isolated rural settings.

[Pondbuilder]

Now they have caught all three...my recommendation for punishment is make them work side by side with the churchmembers rebuilding the churches and live amongst the parishoners to get a feel for the people they hurt.