Mon Apr 2, 9:11 AM ET
NEW YORK (AFP) - A suspicious fire has burned down a synagogue used by an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group, whose members attended the
Iran-sponsored Holocaust denial conference last year, a local newspaper reported Monday.
The Journal News published in the Hudson Valley north of here said police and Rockland County arson investigators viewed the blaze in the town on Monsey as suspicious because the group known as Neturei Karta has been the target of threats.
Fire Chief Douglas Perry said downed electrical lines and people lining the streets temporarily impeded firefighters from getting into the building, according to the report.
Neturei Karta is made up of Hasidic Jews, who oppose Israel on religious grounds and believe Jews should live under Arab Muslim rule until the Messiah comes.
Over the years, they have burned the Israeli flag and met with people and groups that have vowed to destroy Israel, the paper said.
In December, Neturei Karta members met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and spoke at a seminar for Holocaust deniers in Iran, The Journal News said.
