Indian-origin teen charged in firebombing of US synagogues

A 19-year old Indian-origin youth has been arrested and charged in connection with the firebombing of two synagogues in January in New Jersey. Aakash Dalal's arrest was announced on Friday by Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli.

Dalal has been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated arson, bias intimidation and criminal mischief, and will be arraigned on March 5. His bail has been set at $ 2.5 million.

Prosecutors said Dalal, a resident of New Brunswick, had instigated the attacks on synagogues in Rutherford and Paramus.Another young man Anthony Graziano, 19, had already been arrested in the January attacks on the two synagogues. Dalal had allegedly given Graziano information about making incendiary devices.

Authorities had said Graziano was driven by a hatred of Jews and had searched online for synagogues in his area. He threw Molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices at the Rutherford synagogue.

In the attack, the Molotov cocktails ignited a fire in the second-floor bedroom of Rabbi Nosson Schuman, who lived with his family above the synagogue. Graziano has pleaded not guilty to charges that include nine counts of attempted murder, bias intimidation, arson and aggravated arson.

While Graziano had carried out the attacks alone, Dalal was involved in two separate episodes involving anti-Semitic graffiti, prosecutors claimed. Dalal had attended Rutgers University and gone to middle school with Graziano.

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