Spokane County man arrested in Oklahoma firebombing

SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane County man with ties to the Aryan Nations white supremacy group is in federal custody in Arkansas, accused of attempting to firebomb a synagogue in Oklahoma City.

Sean M. Gillespie was arrested by FBI agents near Russellville, Ark., last Friday after investigators used a surveillance video and other leads linked him to the April 1 Molotov cocktail firebombing of Temple B’Nai Israel, an FBI agent said Tuesday.

Gillespie, 20, recently lived in Latah, about 30 miles south of Spokane, and worked at a fast-food restaurant in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, said FBI agent Norm Brown, supervisor of the Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Brown said Gillespie is a white supremacy advocate and has been affiliated with the Aryan Nations, which has its headquarters in northern Idaho.

Gillespie left the Inland Northwest in late March, Brown said.

He was being held without bond in Little Rock, Ark., pending transfer to Oklahoma City, where he faces federal charges stemming from the attempted firebombing. If convicted, Gillespie faces five to 25 years in prison.

The synagogue sustained only minor damage in the firebombing attempt, authorities said.

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