Synagogue arsonist cleared

TORONTO, April 28 (JTA) — A Canadian court found that a cardiologist who set fire to two synagogues in Ontario is not criminally responsible because of a longstanding mental disorder. In its ruling, the court followed the testimony of Dr. Simon Chiu, who testified that 38-year-old Jonathan Bishinsky suffers from a manic-depressive condition with related psychotic delusions, but poses no threat to society so long as he is under treatment and taking medication. Bishinsky, 38, was briefly detained in February as the chief suspect in a fire in a synagogue in Phoenix, Ariz., that caused thousands of dollars in damage. Upon his return home to the southern Ontario town of London, he set fire to two synagogue exteriors, causing about $450 in damages.