A suspect has been detained following an alleged arson attack that engulfed a Mississippi synagogue in flames, leading to the destruction of Torahs and triggering an investigation by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The fire erupted shortly after 3 a.m. at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, the largest synagogue in the state. Thankfully, no congregants were hurt, according to officials.

Images from the site depicted extensive damage to both an administrative office and the synagogue’s library, with several Torahs either destroyed or severely damaged.

Jackson Mayor John Horhn announced that authorities had taken a suspect into custody as part of an investigation that also involved the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson is the state’s largest synagogue. No congregants were injured, officials said.  (Beth Israel)

“Acts of antisemitism, racism, and religious hatred are attacks on Jackson as a whole and will be treated as acts of terror against residents’ safety and freedom to worship,” Horhn said in a statement.

Officials did not immediately release the name of the suspect or what charges the person was facing.

Services at the synagogue will be suspended indefinitely following the fire. (Beth Israel)

Beth Israel Congregation was previously targeted in a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1967, an attack linked to the synagogue’s involvement in civil rights efforts, according to the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, which also operates from the building.

“As Jackson’s only synagogue, Beth Israel is a beloved institution, and it is the fellowship of our neighbors and extended community that will see us through,” the institute said in a statement.

The American Jewish Committee also released a statement saying it was “outraged” by the alleged attack.

“This hateful act is only the most recent symptom of the dangerous rising antisemitism facing Jewish communities across the country and around the world,” it said.

Zach Shemper, president of Beth Israel Congregation, stands in ashes outside the congregation’s temple hours after the building was damaged by fire Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 in Jackson, Miss. (Allen Siegler/Mississippi Today via AP)

The Anti-Defamation League called the incident a “deliberate, targeted attack on the Jewish community.”

“Beth Israel survived a KKK bombing in 1967,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “That it has been attacked again, amid a surge of antisemitic incidents across the US, is a stark reminder: antisemitic violence is escalating, and it demands total condemnation and swift action from everyone — including community leaders, law enforcement, and government officials.”

The synagogue’s president, Zach Shemper, said the congregation was still assessing the damage and had received outreach from other houses of worship, according to Mississippi Today. Shemper added that services will be suspended indefinitely.

One Torah that survived the Holocaust was not damaged in the fire, the outlet reported.