A far-right activist described by British prosecutors as holding "deep-rooted anti-Semitic beliefs" was committed to psychiatric care on July 5 after he sustained burns while trying to set fire to a synagogue in Exeter a year ago, British news outlets reported this weekend.
On July 21, 2018, CCTV cameras captured Tristan Morgan breaking a window of the Exeter Synagogue and pouring flammable liquid inside. Morgan then tried to set the material on fire but was caught in a burst of fire that emanated from the window. Morgan sustained burns to his hands and face, as well as singed hair, a report from the Press Association said.
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Police Supt. Matt Lawler released a statement in which he said the camera footage demonstrated that Morgan had carried out the arson attack with a "level of planning, determination, and intent."
According to Supt. Lawler, "wider evidence … showed [Morgan] held extreme right-wing, anti-Semitic, and white supremacist views."
The Press Association report said that firefighters scrambled to the scene discovered a fire burning in the boiler room.
Witnesses told the authorities that they had seen him walking away from the building, holding a can of gasoline and laughing to himself.
When police arrested Morgan, he told them, "Please tell me that synagogue is burning to the ground. If not, it's poor preparation," the PA reported.
The PA report said it cost the synagogue more than £23,000 ($29,000) to repair the damages caused by the arson.
