A 60 year old man, described by the FBI as an “extremely dangerous” transient, was arrested on Monday evening in Ohio, in connection with a powerful explosion that rocked a synagogue on Thursday morning in Santa Monica, California.
In a statement, the FBI said the man, Ron Hirsch, is known for frequenting synagogues and Jewish community centers begging for money.
The FBI believe Hirsch boarded a Greyhound bus traveling from Los Angeles to New York the day of the explosion and then jumped off in Denver. He was picked up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, after a concerned citizen tipped off police.
The explosion — which sent a 300-pound metal post encased in cement flying into the air, landing on the roof of a house near the synagogue — was first reported to be an accident. However, according to the FBI, the forensic post-blast investigation “resulted in evidence indicating that the device appeared to have been deliberately constructed.”
Items found near the synagogue were identified as belonging to Hirsch.
The FBI said there is no known motive for the crime at this time, and the investigation is ongoing.
