A man was arrested in Florida Friday accused of attempting to set fire to a convenience store he thought was owned by Muslims, the Palm Beach Post reported. Richard Leslie Lloyd, a 64-year-old from Fort Pierce, Florida, reportedly told investigators that he wanted to “run the Arabs out of our country” and that he was targeting Muslims “due to what they are doing in the Middle East,” the Palm Beach Post reported based on the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies who had been called to the store, the Met Mart in Port St. Lucie, Florida, found a dumpster that had been rolled in front of the store’s doors and set on fire. Lloyd was arrested on the scene and remains in custody on a $30,000 bond, according to the report.
The Met Mart was not open yet when the officials arrived Friday morning and its security shutters were still shut, the Palm Beach Post said. Lloyd is charged with first degree arson, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
