Suspect in deadly synagogue shooting linked to mosque arson fire
The suspected gunman who allegedly opened fire with an assault rifle on members of a Southern California synagogue during a Passover service -- killing one person and wounding three others, including the rabbi and a child -- has been linked to a recent arson blaze at a nearby mosque, according to a law enforcement source.
John Earnest, 19, was taken into custody after being confronted during Saturday's attack on the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego by an armed off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent working security at the temple, officials said.
A law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation told ABC News that Earnest has been identified as the suspect in a March 24 arson fire that damaged the Dar-ul-Arqam mosque in Escondido, a San Diego County town about 15 miles north of the synagogue in Poway.
Earnest "is our guy," the law enforcement source said of the arson at the mosque.
In the mosque fire, Earnest, of San Diego, allegedly left behind a note referencing the March 15 attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. A 28-year-old Australian man, Brenton Harrison Tarrant, described by authorities as a white supremacist, allegedly killed 50 Muslim worshippers and broadcast part of the massacre on Facebook Live.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/suspect-in-deadly-synagogue-shooting-linked-to-mosque-arson-fire-source/ar-BBWnvIy?li=BBnb7Kz