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Suspected SaMo Chabad House Bomber Arrested Near Ohio Chabad House
On Monday, the FBI released surveillance footage showing Hirsch in Denver, disembarking a Greyhound Bus (Courtesy Dept. of Justice)
A homeless man suspected of setting off a homemade bomb next to the Chabad House in Santa Monica last week was arrested late Monday when he was spotted in the vicinity of the Chabad House in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, according to the LA Times. 60-year-old Ron Hirsch, who sometimes goes by Israel Fisher, fled Los Angeles after the Thursday incident, and on Monday, the FBI revealed he had been seen disembarking a New York-bound Greyhound bus in Denver, Colorado.Authorities have not yet released more details about the arrest, or how Hirsch traveled from Denver to Cleveland Heights. Hirsch was discovered in the Ohio shul by a rabbi, who notified local authorities, who in turn notified the FBI.
Thursday's blast was initially reported as a bombing, then thought to be an industrial accident, and then once again ruled a bombing. The blast "sent a 300-pound metal pipe encased in concrete crashing through the roof of a home next to the synagogue," notes the Times. "The incident took place shortly before prayer services at the Chabad House Thursday morning and triggered the evacuation of about 100 people from a four block radius," according to KABC. No one was injured in the blast, however.
During the investigation, the explosive materials were linked to Hirsch, who has a reputation for frequenting synagogues and other centers of Judaism in pursuit of handouts.
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