Iraq Veteran Confesses to Arson in Fires at Mosque and Planned Parenthood
Jedediah Stout (Green Co. Sheriff’s Office)Tucked into the deeply evangelical corner of southwestern Missouri, the Islamic Society of Joplin’s mosque was an oasis for Muslims — the only mosque within a 50-mile radius.
But in August 2012, during Ramadan, the building burned to the ground in an apparent arson fire. It was the second attempt made on the mosque in about a month; activists feared a hate crime, and a team of federal and local investigators couldn’t find a suspect.
But now, a surprise turn in a different arson case has implicated an Iraq veteran, who officials say confessed over the weekend to burning down the mosque in addition to making attempts on the local Planned Parenthood office. […]
Officials have not yet charged Stout in the mosque fire. On Monday, federal prosecutors filed a request to hold a detention hearing to determine Stout’s status as the case unfolds.
No reason was given in court filings for the attacks.
In Facebook and online dating profiles under his name and showing a photo that appeared to match his booking picture, Stout self-identified as a politically conservative Christian and a struggling veteran. According to U.S. Army records, Stout was a combat engineer from October 2002 to July 2005 and had deployed to Iraq from September 2003 to September 2004. […]
More: Iraq Veteran Accused of Arson in Fires at Mosque, Planned Parenthood
Wonkette has also commented on the story in its signature style, heh:
[…] Now, let’s not be too quick in attributing a religious motivation to Mr. Stout. After all, “Authorities gave no motive for Stout’s alleged actions at the mosque or the Planned Parenthood clinic, which does not provide abortion services.” So there’s just no telling. Could be he just happened to pick those two places to burn because he’s a false flagger trying to make mosque-and-clinic-burners look bad. Or for no particular reason at all. We wouldn’t want Allen West to sic the NAACP on us, after all.