Fire in Hollywood synagogue called arson

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(JTA) — Police are searching for a suspect in a fire in a prominent Hollywood synagogue that has been classified as arson.

The fire, which the Los Angeles Fire Department has called arson, was set in a classroom on the second floor of Temple Israel of Hollywood early on April 14. The suspect was caught on a security camera and is believed to be a transient known in the area, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Police reportedly are not investigating the incident as a hate crime, though Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge called it a hate crime, the Los Angeles Jewish Journal reported.

The incident came a week after a Santa Monica Chabad center and synagogue was targeted with a pipe bomb. A suspect in that incident was arrested in suburban Cleveland.   
 

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