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| Suspect Arrested in Fires at Black Churches in Louisiana | Suspect Arrested in Fires at Black Churches in Louisiana |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| BATON ROUGE, La. — A suspect has been arrested in the burnings of three historically black churches in one south Louisiana parish in the last month, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday night. | BATON ROUGE, La. — A suspect has been arrested in the burnings of three historically black churches in one south Louisiana parish in the last month, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday night. |
| David C. Joseph, the United States attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, confirmed in a statement that a suspect was in custody. He did not elaborate. | David C. Joseph, the United States attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, confirmed in a statement that a suspect was in custody. He did not elaborate. |
| Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana said the suspect was the son of a St. Landry Parish deputy sheriff. | |
| The fires, which destroyed the three churches, occurred on March 26, April 2 and April 4 in St. Landry Parish, north of Lafayette. The first was at St. Mary Baptist in Port Barre; the two others were at Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist in Opelousas, the St. Landry Parish seat. Officials had said they found “suspicious elements” in each case. | |
| “They burned down a building,” the Rev. Harry J. Richard of the Greater Union church said as he preached at a gathering on April 7 after the fire. “They didn’t burn down our spirit.” | “They burned down a building,” the Rev. Harry J. Richard of the Greater Union church said as he preached at a gathering on April 7 after the fire. “They didn’t burn down our spirit.” |
| [‘They didn’t burn down our spirit’: black churches in Louisiana were worried but defiant after the fires.] | |
| A fourth fire, a small blaze that officials said was “intentionally set,” was reported on March 31 at a predominantly white church in Caddo Parish, about a three-hour drive north. It was unclear if that fire was connected to the others. | A fourth fire, a small blaze that officials said was “intentionally set,” was reported on March 31 at a predominantly white church in Caddo Parish, about a three-hour drive north. It was unclear if that fire was connected to the others. |
| Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana and law enforcement officials were scheduled to provide details on the arrest at a news conference on Thursday morning in Opelousas. | Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana and law enforcement officials were scheduled to provide details on the arrest at a news conference on Thursday morning in Opelousas. |
| The F.B.I. and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been involved in the investigation, as well as the Louisiana and Florida state fire marshals, the cybercrime unit of the Louisiana attorney general’s office, and state and local police. | |
| Since the 1950s, black churches across the South have been the targets of racist attacks, from arson and bombing to armed assault. | Since the 1950s, black churches across the South have been the targets of racist attacks, from arson and bombing to armed assault. |