NBC: Two arrests in Alabama church fires

[TacticalPeek]

NBC: Two arrests in Alabama church fires
Suspects are to appear in court soon; search for third person

BREAKING NEWS
NBC News and news services
Updated: 9:41 a.m. ET March 8, 2006

WASHINGTON - Federal law enforcement officials believe they’ve scored a big break with the arrest 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 or when they were arrested, but authorities believe they’ve solved the case, Williams added.

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

more
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11726024

[stop the bleeding]

1. interesting n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. I'm waiting with bated breath.

[stop the bleeding]

3. Did you have a chance to read the 2 papers that

I sent you last on the Plame scandal???

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. You nudge.

I'm going right now.

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. Okay, you asked for it. Here it is:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2500809

[Rowdyboy]

4. Cool-arsonists belong in jail

[CottonBear]

5. Good. I hope they are convicted. What awful people.

These churches were small rural churches, both black & white. Many of the buildings were very old and historic and most of the churches were the centers of the small communities. These were not big, wealthy churches.

We hada rash of church burnings in my area of NE GA a few years ago. It was horrible. Turned out, it was some sicko from INdiana or somewhere near there who was doing it. He looked like a meth addict.

[stepnw1f]

10. Arson Payed by a Mega CHurch Maybe?

[CottonBear]

11. I doubt it. Just disturbed individuals. n.t

[Maddy McCall]

6. I hope they've got the right people...

and, if so, I hope they are convicted AND required to pay for all of the destruction they caused.

We are having a rash of arson in my area right now. Already one attempt to burn down a church--caused heavy smoke damage and burned a small area at the back of the church--and we've had two abandoned houses burned. This all happened in the space of a week, the last fire being about two weeks ago. I hope that investigators are able to find these arsonists, too. I think they are kids and will eventually want to brag about it. That's just about the only way you can catch an arsonist. Someone rats on them.

[cantstandbush]

7. The two matriculated at Birmingham Southern College. Anyone know

anything about that college? Is it funndie?

[QC]

9. Nope. Nominally Methodist, consistently ranked highly among small

liberal arts colleges, expensive. This surprises me.

[jwirr]

13. The Methodist Church has it's share of fundies!

[QC]

15. Yeah, but BSC is mostly a rich kid school.

Lots of trust fund hippies who will soon cut their hair and start working for daddy, and the like. I don't have a good feeling about this....

[Phelan]

17. I resent that

I resent that, I never had long hair!
I graduated from BSC and actually know one of the people that is involved, I'm shocked that he would do such a thing. he ruined his life... He was was probably one of the most popular kids on campus from what I recall, a theater kid with loads for friends, played guitar in public places a lot, was at every party on campus etc. FBI got their profile very wrong...but they are all over campus from what I hear...

[QC]

18. I'm sorry. My point was that BSC is not a backwoods fundamentalist

indoctrination camp.

I can't imagine why the guys would do this either, and you know this is going to make life hell not only for them but also for their families.

[Phelan]

19. It was tic

Their lifes in Alabama is over though, it is really sad that they would ruin their lifes and their families lifes...
Its also bad for the colllege but that is entirely different matter.

[TacticalPeek]

8. I think I heard one of these jerks on c-span this morning.

:evilgrin:

[megatherium]

16. They're now claiming there was no racial/hate motive.

There was no racial pattern to the arsons, white churches and black churches were burned. But they're also claiming that the alleged perps started the fires simply because they enjoyed starting fires. My guess: the alleged perps are probably mentally ill, but if they are not, the motive is hate towards religion -- perhaps they took heavy-metal pop satanism a bit too far -- and the claim that they did it just for fun is to avoid the bigger penalties of a hate crime conviction.

[Charlie Brown]

20. 3 College Students Arrested in Alabama Church Fires

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/08/alabama.churches/index.html

CNN) -- Three Birmingham college students were arrested Wednesday in connection with 10 church fires in Alabama last month, state and federal officials said.

One of the suspects said the fires began as a joke that "got out of hand," according to court papers filed Wednesday citing what a witness told investigators.

Two of those arrested were identified as Ben Moseley and Russell Debusk, both 19 and students at Birmingham-Southern College, which is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. They appeared in federal court in Birmingham late Wednesday morning. (Watch one of the suspects after he was arrested at a college dorm -- 1:12)

The third person -- Matthew Lee Cloyd, a 20-year-old student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham -- was taken into custody later in the day, said federal law enforcement officials.

According to court papers, Cloyd told a witness he and Moseley "had done something stupid."

[RaleighNCDUer]

21. Young Republicans?

[mikeytherat]

22. Arson is a "Joke that got out of hand"?

Yeah, REALLY f**king funny! Oh, man, I'm just busting a gut. Nothing is as funny as arson!

mikey_the_rat

[Warpy]

23. I figured as much when the early fires just did nuisance damage

that it was dumb kids on a lark.

Stupid little jerks.

[mom cat]

24. I am so glad that they caught them.

[xultar]

25. It is TERRA - Christian Sectarian Violence. Terra colours to RED.

Ready the duct tape and plastic sheeting.

[Rich Hunt]

30. why is this not considered terror?

Domestic terrorists benefit from the re-definition of terror post-9/11.

It's fertile ground for hate groups to act.

This country is so blinded by amnesia and spin.

[Jamison]

26. A joke huh?

Wonder if they'll still be laughing in prison?

[goforit]

27. The KKK continues generation to generation. A Joke my ass!!

[NaturalHigh]

29. The churches were both black and white.

This doesn't seem like a racial thing, just some dumbass punks who thought it would be cool to set churches on fire. Throw away the key.

[yasmina27]

28. A Joke?

Holy Smokes! <groan>

In all seiousness, this is abominable! Some joke!

[dave29]

32. God jokes too

for example, the dinosaurs

[WatchWhatISay]

31. Worst part is

it will give the fundies a lot of mileage for their Christian persecution crap. My mom buys into that stuff.

[brooklynite]

33. Why is everyone getting so worked up by this?

C'mon, its just a little fraternity humor. You know, like at Abu Ghraib...

"This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation, and we're going to ruin people's lives over it, and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time." -- Rush Limbaugh