Accused temple arsonist denied bail

4/21/2003 11:43 AM By: <a href=www.capitalnews9.com>Capital News 9 web staff

A man accused of setting fire to a Jewish temple in Syracuse was denied bail Monday and ordered held in jail until his trial.

An Onondaga County judge agreed with prosecutors that 29-year-old Raussi Uthman was a risk to flee the Syracuse area.

Uthman was arrested March 14 in California after being sought by Syracuse police and the FBI for more than two years in connection with the arson at Temple Beth El in October 2000.

His defense attorney denies the allegations that his client was motivated by hate to set fire to the synagogue.

Officials said the fire occurred late at night and the suspect used gasoline to start it. The blaze caused about $700,000 in damage.

Uthman is a naturalized US citizen born in Venezuela of Palestinian parents. Prosecutors said he evaded law enforcement officials by using three different passports, more than two dozen aliases and numerous addresses.