Arsonist sets fire to Florida Jewish center, but police do not believe it was a hate crime

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida Jewish center suffered severe damage in a weekend arson fire that police believe was set by a mentally ill homeless man who previously confronted the rabbi and others.Rabbi Chaim Slavaticki said Monday that the man accused of setting the fire sat down in front of his family’s car on Friday evening in the alley behind the Las Olas Jewish Center, raised his middle finger and would not let them pass as they arrived for a Shabbat dinner with the community.
“He was saying negative things and having us go around,” Slavaticki said. He said the suspect had twice previously made obscene gestures at him and had run-ins with others at the center.
Scott Hannaford, 50, was arrested Saturday and charged with arson, Fort Lauderdale police said in a news release. He was being held Monday at the Broward County jail on $100,000 bail. The public defender’s office said its attorneys have not yet been appointed to represent him.
Hannaford is a homeless man “who appears to suffer from mental illness” and the fire is not believed to be a hate crime, the police statement said. No one was in the building and no injuries were reported.
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