A joke that got out of hand??

Okay, I don't believe the Alabama church fires were a joke that got out of hand. I just don't buy that for one minute. You know what? It's a hate crime. Those kids should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and should be charged for a hate crime. And I don't care what anyone says about it. You don't set fire to that many buildings as a joke, no matter what kind of buildings they are. But churches? When someone targets a church, they are targeting the people who go to that church. And targeting someone for their religious beliefs is a hate crime. I can't say that enough. It's a hate crime. (I think it's fairly obvious where I stand on this issue, lol)

So anyway, here's the news story, or you can read it below.

Three college students arrested in Alabama church arsons
WPMI-TV

Federal agents said the defendants claimed the first few fires were set as "a joke" and the others were started to throw investigators off the track.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Three college students were arrested early today in a string of nine rural Alabama church arsons that one suspect claims were set first as "a joke" and later as a diversion that did not work.

Benjamin Nathan Moseley and Russell Lee DeBusk Junior, both 19-year-old theater students at Birmingham-Southern College, appeared in federal court this morning. A judge ordered both held on church arson charges pending a hearing Friday.

20-year-old Matthew Lee Cloyd was arrested several hours later. He is a junior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who previously attended Birmingham-Southern. All three suspects are from suburban neighborhoods near Birmingham.

Alabama Congressman Artur Davis, whose district includes some of the burned churches, said he's hopeful -- quote -- "that this is the end to the fear that has been rampant in West Alabama."

The arrests come in a probe of arsons at five Baptist churches in Bibb County and four Baptist churches in west Alabama. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had made the arsons its top priority.

An affidavit from an A-T-F agent presented at today's court appearance of Moseley and DeBusk said Moseley admitted to the arsons after his arrest.

Jim Parker, pastor of Ashby Baptist Church at Brierfield, a Bibb County church destroyed in the February third arson said the congregation has been apprehensive about whether the arsonists had some -- quote -- "political or religious agenda."