News / Society

Arson attack sets on fire seventh church in St. Louis

Thursday, 22 October 2015 7:54 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 22 October 2015 7:54 PM ]

Seventh church has been set on fire in St. Louis, Missouri, the United States.

Another church in the US city of St. Louis, Missouri, has been damaged in an arson attack, raising the tally of burnt churches in the area to seven.

Suspected arsonists targeted the Shrine of St. Joseph, a historic Catholic church near downtown St. Louis, early Thursday.

The front doors of the rectory had been deliberately burned with a small amount of accelerant, according to a news release by the city’s Fire Department. The rectory was empty at the time and there were no reported injuries.

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said the fire appears similar to the other recent arson attacks in the St. Louis area in which only the front doors of churches were burned.

Dotson said Wednesday that the arsonists have "picked a fight they cannot win."

St. Louis have been investigating the church attacks for a few days now. The attacks usually involve churches within a three mile radius from one another. The Shrine of St. Joseph, however, is located farther, than the rest of the churches in a mostly African-American neighborhood.

According to police, the first fire happened at Bethel Non-Denominational Church on Lillian Avenue on October 8.

The next attacks took place between October 10 and 14, targeting New Northside Missionary Baptist Church, St. Augustine Catholic Church, and the New Testament Church of Christ. The sixth fire was set at the Ebenezer Lutheran Church.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis City Fire Department Investigative Unit and the St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit are working together to investigate the incidents.

Law enforcement agencies are offering a $9,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest.

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