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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: December 16, 2004 |
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A man charged with firebombing a Jewish elementary school, apparently in retaliation for Israel's killing of Palestinians, pleaded guilty to arson Thursday.
Sleiman Elmerhebi, 19, was arrested in May after tanks of kerosene found at the United Talmud Torahs school were traced to a tire store where he worked.
The school was closed at the time of the fire, but library books and other property were destroyed.
Anti-Semitic notes were taped to the wall and one said the attack was in retaliation for Israeli attacks on Palestinians, including the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the militant Palestinian Islamic group Hamas.
The attack elicited widespread support for the schools, including a financial pledge from actor Russell Crowe to help replace books in the library.
Elmerhebi's mother, 36-year-old Rouba Elmerhebi Fahd, also has been charged with being an accessory after the fact and has pleaded not guilty. She is free on $10,000 bail.
School principal Sydney Benudiz said that he was satisfied with the plea.
"Something wrong was done to our school and we hoped that justice would be served and it seems that it's going to be served," he said.
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