Suspect had Nazi paraphernalia in apartment

ADL urges hate crime probe of man who sought to ‘kill all Jews’ in condo fire

Walter Edward Stolper, 72, captured with more than 28 gasoline containers, sulfur powder and potassium nitrate he planned to use to torch building where he faced eviction

By Eric Cortellessa 16 July 2018, 8:46 pm

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Jonathan A. Greenblatt, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, speaks at the ADL Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on November 6, 2014.(courtesy ADL)

NEW YORK — The Anti-Defamation League has urged authorities to investigate as a hate crime the case of a Florida man who tried to burn down a condominium building and “kill all Jews” inside it.

Last week authorities arrested Walter Edward Stolper, 72, as he was preparing to set his residential building in Miami ablaze.

“We are calling on the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office to investigate this case as a hate crime,” ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted Sunday night.

As of the time of writing, the suspect is being charged with attempted murder and attempted arson.

Florida State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle tweeted Sunday that she had assigned a prosecutor with extensive experience in hate crimes to the case.

That is correct. I have one of my best & most experienced prosecutors who has handled numerous Hate Crimes cases working with @MiamiBeachPD on this case. @LSCaso https://t.co/Uor8MoM9Gn

— Kathy Rundle (@KathyFndzRundle) July 15, 2018

Facing eviction and apparently deeply resentful of his Jewish neighbors, Stolper told a business associate he was going to set the building on fire and “kill all Jews” inside, the Miami Beach Police Department said on Friday.

After arresting him, police found 28 containers with gasoline, sulfur powder, and potassium nitrate inside.

Walter Edward Stolper (Miami Dade Country Police)

A spokesman for the police department, Officer Ernesto Rodriguez, said that with that material, Stolper could have caused an explosion in the property within minutes. The building has 400 units.

“It really could have been at any moment,” Rodriguez told The New York Times. “Had our officers not investigated this tip as thoroughly as they did, we’d be possibly dealing with several casualties.”

The police noted on Twitter that Stolper’s “motivation appears to be triggered by an upcoming eviction and anger towards Jewish neighbors.”

Inside his apartment, officers said they found books of Nazi ideology and other items with swastikas on them.

It is not clear why Stolper was being evicted. He is currently being held in a Miami-Dade County facility without bail.